


That 70s Gate

by DavidFalkayn



Series: That 70s Gate [1]
Category: Stargate SG-1, That '70s Show
Genre: Crossover, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-24
Updated: 2019-09-18
Packaged: 2020-05-18 21:58:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 36,060
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19343473
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DavidFalkayn/pseuds/DavidFalkayn
Summary: Major Jackie Burkhardt, Stargate Command and leader of SG-14, is caught in a time loop that she must resolve in order to restore the timeline.  To do this, she has to go back to Point Place during the 70s.





	1. You Can Go Back Home Again

“Grab Anderson and make for the Gate! I’ll cover you!” A petite figure wearing dark green BDU’s called out as she popped out from her hiding spot behind a large rock to fire a quick burst from her assault rifle. 

“Not without you, Major!” A dusky-skinned man also dressed in BDUs, wearing the insignia of an Air Force sergeant shouted back as he and another teammate supported their wounded comrade between them.

“Go!” The raven haired major ordered as she dived for cover behind a rock, just avoiding the super-heated plasma bolt passing overhead. “I’ll be right behind you!”

“Dial home device activated.” One of the men shouted as the Stargate’s wormhole opened with a sudden whoosh. “Stargate opened.”

“Move it!” The major ordered as her team staggered through the gate. Then, after laying down a final burst of fire, a smirk crossed the major’s lips as two of the Goauld Khepri’s best Jaffa warriors crumpled to the grown. Plasma bolts filling the air, the tiny leader of SG-14 ran towards the stargate as fast as her feet could carry her, diving into the blue, almost placid opening as one of the bolts struck her leg. Ignoring the searing pain, the major barely hung on to consciousness as she rematerialized on the other side of the gate where she finally allowed herself to lapse into unconsciousness, barely hearing the frantic call, “Medic!”

 _Flash!!_

The unconscious major dreamed she was a teenager again living in her hometown of Point Place, Wisconsin standing on the other side of a familiar door as she overheard two of her friends arguing.

“I can’t tonight, Eric. You know I have to babysit my sister.”

“Crap, Donna! “A whiny voice that Jackie immediately recognized as belonging to Eric Forman responded. “That means we’ll have to listen to Jackie all night!”

“It’s not that bad, Eric.” Donna Pinciotti’s contralto voice responded with a mixture of sympathy and amusement.

“Yes, it is!” Eric whined. "She's the devil!"

As she continued to eavesdrop, Jackie heard other sounds: Hyde snickering in amusement as Michael Kelso, her first love, chortled gleefully, not saying a word in her defense. Steeling herself, Jackie wiped the tears of disappointment as she reached for the door knob and, plastering a fake smile on her face, called out with false cheer as she opened the door, 

“Michael!”

_Flash!!_

“Brain waves are spiking, Dr. Frazier!” An air force nurse called out as the doctor rushed to the injured major’s bedside.

“Side effect from her time in Eris’s sarcophagus a few years back.” The doctor quickly diagnosed. She’s in REM cycle now. Increase her painkiller dosage by .5 cc. She should settle down soon enough.”

“The increased dosage is doing the trick, Doctor.” The nurse responded. “Her brain waves are returning to normal.”

“Good.” Dr. Frasier sighed in relief, “Continue monitoring and let me know if there are any other changes.”

_Flash!_

“Donna? Where’s your sister?” Jackie inquired as she glanced into the room opposite her friend’s.

“Sister? What are you talking about, Jackie? You know I don’t have a sister.” A confused Donna responded and then teased, “Have you been into Hyde’s stash without him knowing about it?”

“No! Of course not!’ Jackie replied and then said, “I know it sounds weird, but for some reason, I thought you had a sister.”

“Sometimes I wish I did” Donna confessed somewhat ruefully, “But then I see all the stuff that Eric has to put up with Laurie...oops...sorry, Jackie...” The tall redhead apologized, “I didn’t mean to bring up bad memories...”

“Don’t worry about it, Donna...” Jackie replied magnanimously, “All that’s in the past. Now that me and Michael are back together again, nothing is going to tear us apart. We’re going to be together forever.”

“Yeah...right...” Donna responded, rolling her eyes, “You just hold on to that thought.”

_Flash!!_

 

Her eyes fluttering as she awoke, the major sighed and exhaled rapidly as Doctor Frazier rushed to her bedside.

“It’s all right.” The doctor said in a comforting voice as she gently settled her injured patient back in bed. “Bad dream, Jackie?”

“Maybe...I don’t know...” Major Jackie Burckhardt responded, “Some images...I remember...from my past. The others though...colors and shapes...”

“Probably lingering aftereffects from your time in the sarcophagus a few years ago.” Doctor Frazier surmised as she made a few notes in her patient’s chart. I’m going to recommend that you see Doctor Edwards again for few sessions.”

“So... I’m back to being Ms. Psycho, huh?” Jackie quipped, flashing a brief, shaky smile.

“No. Not at all.” Doctor Frazier responded in an assuring tone. “They’re probably just ghost images. What you’re going through is not at all uncommon with others who have had lengthy experiences in Goaul’d sarcophagi.” Shaking her head, the doctor declared, “Those sarcophagi are capable of preserving and even taking years off your life, but the price...”

“Yeah.” Jackie agreed, nodding her head, “Way too high.”

Smiling down at her patient, Dr. Frasier declared as she made some notes on her tablet, “Otherwise, Jackie...you’re ready to be discharged. I’m putting you on limited duty status for a few days until you’ve seen Doctor Edwards and we’ll go on from there.”

“What about my team?” Jackie asked.

“Sergeant Rodriguez’ll be here for another day or two and then same for him—limited duty for a couple of days. The others are just fine.” Doctor Frazier then put on a look of mock sternness. “Now...as for you. You’ve got the rest of the night here and then I want you out of my infirmary. Go home, get some rest, then on Monday, you’ll be cleared for full duty.”

“Thanks Doc.” Jackie grinned as she slipped back into bed and quickly fell asleep.

 

Following Doctor Frasier’s orders, Jackie returned to her Colorado Springs apartment and, after slipping into comfortable sweats, sank into her couch as she turned on the TV. As she drifted into a state of half-sleep, images once again raced through her mind with one vision in particular stood out over all the others. 

Raising her right hand in a signal to halt, Jackie, her assault rifle cradled in her arms, entered the chamber. Gasping, she saw Eric, Donna, Steven, Fez, and a strange little girl whom she didn’t recognize all enclosed in glass cocoons, a blue viscous semi-gaseous fluid slowly filling each of the tubes imprisoning them, slowly consuming them as it did so. 

Gasping, Jackie shot up out of the couch. Quickly picking up the phone and hitting the speed dial, the major sighed in relief as she heard the familiar voice on the other end.

“Hello?”

“Hey Donna...” Jackie stammered, “It’s me...Jackie...”

“Jackie?” A surprised Donna exclaimed, “How are you doing? How’s Colorado? Is something wrong?”

“I’m okay...” Jackie replied quickly and then asked, “How’s everything your way? How are Eric and the others?”

“Eric’s fine.” A mystified Donna responded. “He’s still teaching high school but looking forward to retirement soon.” Then, after a moment’s pause, she continued tentatively, “Kitty’s not doing so well...We put her in hospice care last week. The doctors think she’s only got a few more weeks—a month at the most.”

“I’m sorry.” Jackie whispered as she heard the bad news.

“Yeah. Her memory’s mostly gone now because of the Alzheimer’s—every now and again she’ll recognize Eric or me, but that’s it. Hyde came in to visit her a couple days ago and she didn’t even recognize him. Ever since Red and Dad passed on...” Donna choked back a sob and then continued, “Anyway, I’m trying to round up as much of the old gang as possible so that she can...well...you know. I contacted Michael and Hyde, and even managed to get Joanne, but I’m having problems with Fez. For some reason or other, Homeland Security has him on a watch list...”

Shaking her head, Jackie quickly responded, “I’ll see what I can do. I can’t guarantee anything.” She cautioned, “But I know people who know people and I think they can swing it where he can get a visa to come into the country. Also, I’ve got more than a few days leave banked, so give me a few days to clear everything with the brass and I’ll be there.”

“That’s great!” Donna exclaimed. “I’ll see you in a few days.” 

“Great! Tell Eric I said Hi and to behave himself.”

“Will do. Bye!”

Hanging up the phone, Jackie glanced at the clock on the wall. “Time to get ready for work.” She said to no one in particular as she made her way to the bathroom for her ritual morning shower. “First...see how the team’s doing...” she remarked to herself as she planned out her day, “And then my appointment with Doc Edwards followed by lunch with Daniel and then a meeting with General O’Neill.” Turning on her shower, the petite major paused for a moment as she tried to figure out why the general would want to see her. "Top secret mission? Possible...but not likely. Generally, SG-1 got the juicy assignments. Butt chewing? Better not be." Jackie frowned as she replayed the events of the last mission in her mind. "That mission was FUBARed from the beginning. If the higher-ups try to pin this on my team..." Gritting her teeth, Jackie grumbled as she stepped into the shower, “Well...whatever it’s about, I’ll find out soon enough.” 

“So... how’s your day been so far, Jackie?”

Smiling as she regarded the man sitting across from her, Jackie replied, “Not bad, Daniel. Team’s recovering nicely and my session with Doc Edwards seemed to have gone okay. He only ‘Hmmmmed’ twice during the entire interview. What about you? How’re you holding up?”

“Same old...same old.” Doctor Daniel Jackson, answered back, flashing a boyish grin. “I’ve been keeping busy with some old manuscripts we found on our last mission.”

“What about Sam?” Jackie inquired, “She still at that conference?”

“She just got back.” Daniel replied. “What about you?"

“Don’t know.” Jackie answered back. “Depends on what the Old Man says.”

“Don’t worry about Jack.” Daniel chuckled. “His bark is worse than his bite. He knows what happened out there wasn’t your fault. Stuff happens—you know that. So... what have you got planned? SG-14 going out again?”

“Not right away.” Jackie replied as she finished her iced tea. “Rodriguez is still on limited duty.” Sighing, she remarked in a wistful tone, “I’m hoping the general will let me take some leave.”

“Everything okay back at home?” Daniel asked as a look of concern crossed his features. “I remember you telling me about your friend’s mother—that she’s in the advanced stages of Alzheimer’s.”

“Yeah.” Jackie sighed as she nodded her head. “Donna says that Kitty doesn’t have much longer. I’m hoping to be able to see her.”

“Don’t worry, Jackie.” Daniel replied with a warm smile, “Unless there’s something urgent, I’m sure Jack’ll let you go. Family’s very important to him.”

“Thanks, Daniel. Well...” She remarked as she glanced at the clock on the wall, “I better get going or the General really will have something to yell about.”

“Yeah...you don’t want to keep him waiting.” Dr. Jackson laughed. “I’ll see you later.”

Entering the General’s office, Major Burckhardt came to attention and saluted. “Sir?”

“At ease, Major.” General Jack O’Neill responded as he returned Jackie’s salute. “How are you and your team feeling?”

“Fine, Sir.” Jackie responded.

“Good.” The general exclaimed as he pulled a pair of envelopes, one large and one small, from a desk drawer. “Have a seat, Major.” General O’Neill requested.

“Thank you, Sir.” Jackie responded as she sat down.

“First...” The general said, “You’re not here for a butt chewing. What happened on PX-395 was not your fault—or your team’s fault. Understand?” Taking the dark-haired major’s head nod as an affirmative, Jack continued, “You got yourself and your people out in one piece and you provided some valuable intel on Khepri and Eris. Even though we’ve beaten most of the System Lords, those two and others like them have been pains in our backside for too long.”

“Yes, Sir.” 

“I also know it’s personal between you and Eris...I know what she did to you and that there’s nothing you’d like more than to get some payback. Believe me...I know exactly what you’re going through.” General O’Neill remarked sympathetically as he remembered his confrontations with Apophis and a few other System Lords. “But you kept your head. You did a good job keeping your cool out there.”

“Thank you, Sir.”

“So...” General O’Neill exclaimed as he rose to his feet, “Unless there’s something else...”

“There is, Sir.” Jackie responded. Taking the general’s slight nod of his head as a signal to continue, the major began hesitatingly, “Sir...I was wondering. Doc Frasier still wants to keep my team on limited duty status for at least another week and... well...I’ve got several weeks’ worth of leave accumulated...and... I don’t know if you’ve heard...but my friend’s mother isn’t doing too well...she doesn’t have much longer.”

“And you want to see her.” Jack finished, nodding his head approvingly. “Of course, you can go. But...before you take you take off...” The general requested, “Could you do a quick favor for us? It's what I called you in here for in the first place. You see, we’re testing a variation on the Asgard transporter...” General O’Neill explained and then, seeing the skeptical look on the younger officer’s face, he quickly added, “It’s safe, Major. I promise your atoms won’t be scattered all over the place. I need someone to attend a Top-Secret conference at Davis-Monthan Air Base dealing with possible counters to Anubis’ super-warriors.” Exhaling deeply, Jack confided, “Those mothers are murdering us. Colonel Carter’s come up with some ideas, but we’re still a long way before they get beyond the drawing board stage...”

“Yeah...Doctor Jackson was telling me about that.” Jackie replied, “Of course, I’ll do it, Sir.”

“Great!” General O’Neill exclaimed. “Thor will transport you up to his ship in... three hours...that should give you enough time to get changed out of those BDU’s and into your Class-As. You also might want to carry a second uniform with you. The conference will take a couple of days and then you’re free to go on leave. Here...” He said as he handed the two envelopes in his hand to Jackie. “Open the smaller one once you beam down to the surface—it’ll have further instructions for you.”

Looking down at the envelopes, Jackie saw that they were both marked, ‘Top-Secret’.

“That’s right, Major.” The general’s smile was now gone. “Don’t open them until you’re supposed to. That’s a direct order.”

“Yes, Sir.” A confused Jackie responded as she clutched the envelopes in her hand.

“You’ll understand when you get there, Jackie.” General O’Neill declared in a fatherly voice. "Dismissed, Major. Go and get packed.”

Once he was sure that Major Burckhardt had left the Gate Room, General O’Neill pressed a button. A few moments later, both Daniel Jackson and Colonel Samantha Carter entered the office. “Well...here we go again.” Jack sighed as he motioned for his two friends and former teammates to sit down. “Hopefully this time she’ll be able to break the time loop.”

“The last time helped a lot, Sir.” Dr. Jackson replied, “We were able to pin down the disturbance as emanating from Point Place. But...do you think she’ll be able to deal with it?”

“Doctor Frasier believes that her memories of what happened during that time are beginning to resurface.” Colonel Carter stated, “Janice thinks that her time in the sarcophagus while Eris was torturing her began to break down the walls that she’d built in her mind. Her latest experience seems to have broken those walls down even more. Hopefully, this time she’ll be able to put all the pieces together.”

“She’s the only one who can get this job done.” Jack declared. “She was there at the time. It has to be her. She’ll do it.”

“I hope so, Sir.” Samantha interjected, “We don’t know how many more chances we’re going to get with these time loops.”

“Well...” Jack exclaimed as he picked up his cap, “It’s all on her now.”

Returning to her apartment, Jackie quickly changed into her Air Force blues and then packed her gear, slipping an extra uniform into its traveling case. “Let’s see...spare uniform, I-Pad, I-Phone...check.” She remarked as she slipped the tablet and smartphone into her purse. “That should do it.” As she finished packing, she heard her doorbell ring. Seeing Doctor Frasier through the peephole, Jackie smiled as she opened the door. “Hi Doc! Come to see me off?”

“I was on my way to pick up Cassandra from school.” The doctor explained, “And I figured I’d stop over to see how you were doing and to say goodbye. So... how long you going to be gone?”

“A couple of weeks.” Jackie replied as she noticed the doctor’s attention directed to the photographs hanging over the fireplace. “The old gang.” Jackie said with a warm smile as she placed names with pictures. The balding man is Red.” Laughing, she remarked, “Always ready to give you a foot in the ass or a hug.”

Laughing, Doc Frasier asked as she pointed to the stout man wearing an Afro standing next to Red, “Who’s he.”

“That’s Bob. Donna’s father.” Jackie laughed. “That man told the worst jokes and did the worst Tom Jones impression. He took our picture when Kitty and Red pinned my lieutenant’s bars on me...”

 

_U.S. Air Force Academy—the past._

“Here she comes! You got the camera, Bob?”

“Right here, Red.” Bob Pinciotti replied, flashing a big grin as he held up the 35mm camera in his hand.

“Make sure you take a good picture.” Red commanded, “Ready, Kitty?” He asked, turning to his wife.

“Sure am!” A bubbly Kitty Forman answered back.

As the newly graduated cadet approached, the Forman patriarch’s smile grew even brighter. “Congratulations, Jackie, you made it! But...there’s a problem.” His face taking on a stern expression, he declared in a gruff voice as he regarded the young woman wearing her Air Force blue uniform, “You’re out of uniform. We’ve got to do something about that.” His severe expression then took on a smile as he opened a small jewelry case to reveal a pair of gold second lieutenant’s bars, “Kitty?”

Smiling, Kitty took one of the bars as Red took the other, then, the pair took their places on either side of the young officer, pinning the gold bars to her shoulders while Bob took their picture.

Stepping back as Bob handed the camera back to Kitty, Red carried out a flawless about-face. Then both ex-servicemen, simultaneously, came to attention and raised their right arms to their foreheads, giving the lieutenant her first salute as a commissioned officer.

Tears rolling down her cheeks, Jackie snapped to attention and returned the men’s salute with a crisp salute of her own and then after completing the military ritual, she rushed into Kitty’s arms.

“We’re so proud of you, Jackie!” Kitty sobbed as the two women hugged.

 

_The Present_

"And that’s...” Jackie said, pointing to another picture, this one of a middle-aged woman as she choked back a sob, “Is Kitty...”

“She’s the one...”

“Yeah.” Jackie nodded her head. “She was always there for us when we needed a kind word or a shoulder to cry on.”

“Who are the others?”

“The dark-haired guy’s Fez.” Jackie said, her lips turning up into a fond smile. “We roomed together for a while before I went to the Academy. Even dated for a bit—but it didn’t work out.” She shook her head as her lips turned up in a warm smile, “He was funny and sweet and well...a really great guy...” She confessed, “It’s just that...I wasn’t ready. Just like I wasn’t ready with the others. The other guy, the younger guy with the ‘Fro...that’s Hyde. We...were an item for a while too—before Fez. Almost got married until we both screwed it up.” Laughing, she jibed, “As you can see, I don’t have much luck with love.”

“It’ll happen, Jackie.” Doctor Frazier commiserated.

“It’s all right.” Jackie remarked with chuckle, “It doesn’t bother me now. Anyway...” She sighed, "Hyde didn’t care too much for my decision to join the Air Force. We haven’t talked much since.”

 

_Forman House: 1980_

Letter in hand and broad grin on her face, Jackie dashed into the Forman’s living room where Red, Hyde, Kelso, and Bob were watching the football game. “I did it!” Jackie squealed with delight as she held the letter up. “I got in!”

“Got in where?” Kelso replied with a boyish grin, “Playboy?”

“Yeah.” Hyde snorted, “She’s the next Miss January.”

Just then, a cheer sounded from the television as Red grumbled, “Dammit, you made me miss the Packers scoring a touchdown. Probably be the only one they score in the game too.” Turning his full attention to Jackie, the Forman patriarch growled, “What did you do, now?”

“I got in!” Jackie repeated, her enthusiasm undimmed as she handed Red the letter. “I got this a few minutes ago.”

His eyes immediately catching the Air Force crest on the letterhead, Red carefully read the letter, his eyes growing wider. “Well, I’ll be...” A note of both surprise and pride began to creep into the older man’s voice. “How long have you been planning this? I didn’t even know...”

“No one did.” Jackie replied, the smile still plastered on her face. “I didn’t want anyone else to know...”

“Know what?” Bob interjected as he eyed the letter curiously. Taking Jackie’s nod of her head as assent, Red passed the letter on to Bob who then read it, his eyes also widening in surprise. “Well, I’ll be a monkey’s...”

“We already know you are, Bob.” Red jibed. “Now let the other dumbasses read it.”

As Kelso read the letter, he remarked cluelessly, “I don’t understand...”

“Nothing new there.” Red grumbled as Hyde took the note.

As he read the letter, a strange expression overtook the rebellious Hyde. “How could you do something so stupid, Jackie? How could you sell yourself out like that?”

“Hey!” Red growled as he moved protectively towards Jackie. 

“It’s my choice, Steven!” Jackie declared defensively.

“And it’s a good choice.” Red stated as he placed himself between Hyde and a defiant Jackie. Addressing the young men in the room, he growled, “At least she’s decided to do something with her life!” Turning to Jackie, his lips turned up into a warm smile, “Did you tell your parents?”

“I told my Mom.” Jackie replied, shaking her head, “She was into her third martini and eyeing the pool boy. I don’t think my news even registered with her. As for Dad...he’s...out of town trying to get back on his feet after being paroled. I haven’t been able to reach him yet.”

“Well...” Red said consolingly as he placed a paternal hand on Jackie’s shoulder, “If there’s anything Kitty and I can do for you, just let us know.”

“We’re going to miss you, Jackie.” Kelso said adding, “What about Fez?”

“Yeah...” Jackie replied, nodding her head once, “I’m going to have to find some way to tell him.” Turning her gaze toward Hyde, Jackie gave him a pleading look, “Are we okay?”

“I don’t know.” Stephen grumbled as he left the room.

“He’ll get over it.” Kelso consoled, “I think it’s neat. So...” He asked with a goofy grin on his face, “They gonna let you fly a jet?”

“I don’t know.” Jackie laughed, “We’ll see.”

_The Present_

 

“Well...” Doc Frasier said consolingly, “He still must have had some warm feelings for you since he showed up for your graduation."

“Maybe.” Jackie conceded, “Doesn’t matter though. That was a long time ago. We both made our choices.”

“The couple in this picture must be Eric and Donna.” Doctor Frasier surmised, quickly changing the subject. “They look good together.”

“Yeah.” Jackie chuckled, “Those two broke up and got back together so often that we ended up keeping a running pool going as to when they would break up and then make up.”

“Did you win?”

“A couple of times.” Jackie grinned, “So did Red.” 

“So... who’s the other one. The guy with the...”

“Doofy grin?” Jackie chuckled. “That’s Kelso. He’s a long story for another time.”

“Understood.” Doc Frasier responded and then inquired, “So... what happened to everyone?”

“Well...” Jackie sighed, “You know about Kitty. Red left us a decade ago. His heart finally gave out on him. Bob went next—prostate cancer took him away at almost the same time that Midge, his first and last wife, went from breast cancer. Eric and Donna are still living in Point Place and Kelso’s in Chicago with his wife—I can’t believe they’re still married. Fez...well...I’m working on getting him here to see Kitty and as for Hyde...” Jackie simply shook her head. “Donna said that he came by to see Kitty, but I have no idea what he’s doing now."

Looking at her watch, Doc Frasier said her goodbyes, “Well...I better get going now. Thor’s supposed to be picking you up anytime now and I’ve got to pick up Cassie. Take care and let me know how things go.”

“Will do.” Jackie smiled back as she felt the faint electrical charge that indicated that the Asgard had begun their transport sequence. “Looks like my ride’s here.” She exclaimed as she took a deep breath and exhaled before saying a silent prayer as the blue beam took her and her belongings.

Rematerializing on the Asgard ship, Jackie couldn’t help but gasp as she gazed down on its diminutive grey commander. While she had seen Thor a couple of times at Stargate Command, she had never interacted with him. Somewhat hesitatingly, she stammered, “Hello, Thor...”

“Greetings, Major Burckhardt.” The alien answered back. “We will be ready to transport you back down to the surface in one Earth minute.”

“That’s quick.” Jackie remarked as the little gray alien seemed to ignore her. 

“We have reached our destination.” The Asgard Supreme Commander declared. “Prepare for transport.”

“Bye...” Jackie uttered as she suddenly found herself on a sidewalk. Looking around, Jackie shook her head, muttering. “I think you messed up your coordinates, Thor. This isn’t Davis-Monthan.” Clutching her skirt as what looked, much to her surprise, to be a mint condition late 70s Pontiac Trans-Am whizzed by her, Jackie, after muttering a string of curses at the driver, remarked to herself, “Damn. Whoever owns that car did a good job restoring it. It looks almost brand new.” 

Her eyes following the Trans-Am as it turned into a parking lot, Jackie’s mouth opened wide as she gasped in disbelief, “No! That’s impossible! The Hub! It was torn down in the late 80s. There’s a Starbucks there now.” Feeling the envelopes in her hands, Jackie remembered what General O’Neill had told her. Opening the first envelope, she read the note enclosed inside.

_Major Burckhardt, here’s the situation in a nutshell. You are indeed in Point Place in the year 1977. Somehow or other we’ve been caught in a time loop. Colonel Carter thinks that it might be due to the Asgard transport beam that we’ve been testing interacting with whatever was happening during that time. Doctor Frasier thinks that a lot of your bad dreams might come from this disturbance as well. We need you to find out what’s going on and deal with it. We’ll try to help you out anyway we can from our end here, but you’ve got point on this. In the big envelope you’ll find proper identification, money, credit cards, and anything else we can think of to help you out. Yes, Major...the credit cards do come with a limit, so don’t blow them on one of your legendary shopping sprees._

_Good luck,  
General Jack O’Neill_

Opening the big envelope, Jackie nodded her head in satisfaction as she spied the 70s era military ID, drivers’ license, money, and Visa and Mastercard. Putting the items in her purse, the major waited for what seemed like a lifetime as she pondered her situation. Finally, almost as if she was drawn by some mystical force, Jackie, after adjusting her cap, walked towards her old hangout. Reaching the entrance, she paused as she heard the voices inside. Her heart racing, Major Jackie Burckhardt took a deep breath as she opened the door to her past.


	2. Meeting the Old Gang Again

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Major Jackie finds a place to stay and sees her old friends as they once were.

Making her way towards the Hub, Jackie, remembering that women had not yet been allowed into any of the military academies, quickly removed her Academy ring and slipped it into her purse just in time as she saw two men wearing the khaki US Army uniforms worn during this period approaching her. One had master sergeant’s chevrons on his sleeve while the other bore the silver oakleaves of a lieutenant colonel. Saluting as she approached the two men, Jackie greeted them. “Colonel…Sergeant. Good afternoon.”

“Good afternoon, Major.” The lieutenant colonel responded as he and the senior NCO both returned Jackie’s salute. “I’m Lieutenant Colonel Edwards and this is Master Sergeant Phipps. We’re instructors for Point Place High’s JROTC program.”

“Ma’am.” The master sergeant politely greeted.

“Major Jacquelyn Burckhardt.” Jackie replied with a smile, introducing herself. 

“What brings you to Point Place, Major?” The lieutenant colonel asked, making polite conversation.

“Leave.” Jackie responded, "I’m here for a few weeks to visit a distant cousin of mine before reporting to my new duty station.”

“Oh?” Lieutenant Colonel Edwards inquired, “May I ask where?”

“Cheyenne Mountain.” Jackie answered back. “I had too much leave time accumulated so I decided to burn it before I lost it.”

“I can relate.” The colonel chuckled. “Well…if you find the time, swing on by our offices—we always keep a pot of fresh coffee on.”

“Thanks, Colonel.” Jackie replied, “I will.”

“Well…Major…” Colonel Edwards grinned as the two retired army instructors raised their hands in salute, “We better get back to the office. Enjoy your leave.”

“Thank you, Sir.” Jackie answered back as she returned the men’s salutes. “Have a good evening.”

Turning back to the Hub, Jackie missed the quiet conversation going on between the two men.

“Burckhardt…the Burckhardt kid must be the relative she was talking about.” The lieutenant colonel conjectured.

“Gotta be.” The master sergeant replied, nodding his head in agreement. “She looks like she could be an older sister. Did you recognize the fruit salad and pilots wings, Sir.”

“Sure did.” The colonel nodded his head, “She’s gotta be a fire-eater to get those.” Pausing for a moment, he further postulated, “She’s also probably covert ops.”

“Has to be, Sir.” Phipps responded. “A pair of Purple Hearts and a Silver Star with V for valor. I don’t know any female officer or enlisted with those.”

“I know a couple.” Edwards answered back, “They’re intelligence types who know a million different ways to kill you. They’re both knockouts and they both scare the hell out of me.”

“Well…” Phipps chuckled, “At least we know she’s can’t be on a mission here. Nothing exciting ever happens in Point Place.”

“Thank God for that.” Edwards sighed, “I had enough of spooks and covert ops in West Germany.”

Before opening the door, Jackie hesitated and took a deep breath. Here we go!” she muttered to herself as she opened the door and entered her old hangout. Her senses assailed by all the sights and sounds; she stood still, soaking in the atmosphere of the old teenage hangout. 

“Move it or lose it!” Quickly turning about, Jackie confronted a heavy-set teenager wearing a JROTC uniform and sergeant’ s stripes on his shoulders. _Moose Johnson_. Immediately recognizing the boy as the same kid who once shoved Fez in a locker, Major Burkhardt stared into the JROTC cadet’s eyes.

“Do you know what these are?” She barked, pointing to the gold oak leaves on her shoulders. “Or have your instructors not covered rank insignia in class yet?”

“No, Ma’am...I mean, yes, Ma’am...Major...” The poor cadet stammered as Jackie’s eyes bored into his.

“Quit slouching and come to attention.” Jackie commanded as she inspected the cadet. “Your shirt’s wrinkled, your shoes aren’t shined, and neither is that belt buckle and what are you doing wearing your cover inside a mess hall?” As the hapless Johnson lifted his hand to remove his garrison cap from the top of his head, Jackie snapped, “You’re still at attention, Sergeant! Did I tell you that you could move?”

Shaking her head, Jackie decided that she’d had enough fun toying with her prey. “You’re a mess, Sergeant. You’re lucky you didn’t run into your instructors—I just met them outside. Those two don’t look like the type who cut their cadets any slack so my guess is that you ducked into the restroom the moment you saw them. Now get back to your classroom and fix yourself up and pray I don’t decide to report you Colonel Edwards or Master Sergeant Phipps. Move it!”

Smirking as Moose practically ran out the door, Jackie remarked to herself, “Burckhardt, you’re still the biggest biyotch on the block when you wanna be.”

Her smile then turned into a wordless gasp as she saw Donna and Kitty sitting at one of the tables in the far back, both eating their burgers and fries while talking to each other. Feeling a rumbling in her stomach, the major forced herself into motion, her eyes wandering to the two women as she approached the order window. 

“Good for you, Major.” The fry cook taking orders chuckled, “You sure gave Moose what he had coming to him. What can I get you—on the house.” 

“Wha...” Jackie, her reverie broken, reluctantly turned her attention back to the fry cook taking her order.

“I said, what’ll ya have, Ma’am?”

“Oh...Ummm...I guess I’ll have the usual. I mean I’ll have a burger and fries with a diet soda.” 

“Here you go.” The fry cook said a few minutes later as he shoved Jackie’s order on to the counter. Glancing down at her, he spied her name tag, “Burckhardt? Any relation to the Burckhardt kid?”

“My cousin.” Jackie responded, thinking fast.

“Yeah...you two do resemble each other, I guess.” The man noted before advising in a friendly tone, “Better grab yourself a seat while you still can.”

“Why?” Jackie asked.

“In a couple of minutes this place is gonna be overrun by hungry teenagers.” Just then, the door opened to reveal a crowd of hungry and restless high school students, grabbing tables and forming a line behind the petite major. “See what I mean?”

“Yeah...I guess I do.” Jackie laughed as she picked up her order. “Thanks.”

Taking a deep breath, Jackie made her way to the unoccupied table next to where Donna and Kitty were eating and talking animatedly, so engrossed in their own conversation that they didn’t even notice the Air Force officer sitting next to them. Jackie inwardly breathed a sigh of relief as she sat down and, after placing her cap on the table, took a sip from her Tab. Quietly eating her meal, she pretended not to listen to the pair’s conversation.

“So... I thought Eric was going to meet us?” Kitty teasingly inquired with a nervous chuckle.

“He had to cancel out.” Donna replied. “He remembered that Red told him that he wanted him to get back home or he will…and I quote…Turn Eric’s ass into a hat and make him wear it.”

Her smile disappearing, a maternal Kitty remarked, “He would too”

Barely repressing a chuckle, Jackie munched silently on her cheeseburger.

“Red must have wanted Eric to finish up cleaning the garage.” Kitty mused, “Or was it mowing the lawn? I’ve been at the hospital so much that sometimes I lose track of time.”

“That’s what I loved most about you, Kitty. You were such a good mother to both Eric and Laurie…and me as well. Better than my own mother.” Jackie muttered softly to herself as she daubed her lips with a napkin, accidentally knocking her combination cap off the table in the process.

“Eric did say something about mowing the yard.” Donna replied, and then, hearing the chair next to her scrape the floor and spotting the Air Force cap on the ground, remarked as she leaned down. “I’ll get it for you, Ma’am.”

Both pairs of eyes locked on to each other simultaneously as Donna’s fingers touched the blue cap. “Wha...you look just like...” Donna gasped. 

Kitty, her attention suddenly drawn by Donna’s exclamation of surprise, quickly looked up from her meal. “I don’t believe it. You could be...”

“Excuse me?” A suddenly flustered Jackie quickly exclaimed as she grabbed the cap from Donna’s fingers.

“I’m sorry.” Donna quickly apologized. Then, looking down at the Air Force officer’s name tag, the redhead couldn’t help but inquire, “It’s just that...you look so much like…”

“You wouldn’t happen to be related to Jackie Burckhardt, would you?” A surprised Kitty interjected.

“Yes.” Jackie affirmed, thinking to herself, _Well, in a manner of speaking I am related—so it’s not as if I’m really lying_. “She’s my cousin—distant cousin. We even have the same name.” She remarked as, standing up, she held out her hand in greeting.

Her eyes still focused on the newcomer, Kitty invited, “Why don’t you pull up a chair and join us, Major?”

“You sure?” Jackie asked, “I don’t want to intrude.”

“You’re not intruding.” Kitty exclaimed with a big grin, “We’d love the company! Right, Donna?”

“Yeah.” Donna replied as her eyes also appraised the new arrival. “Please sit down with us.”

“Ok.” Jackie said as she moved her food over to the other table. “Thanks.”

“So... you’re here to see your cousin...” Kitty gently probed as Jackie settled down in her chair.

“Yeah.” The major carefully responded. “I have some leave time accumulated and it seemed like a good idea.”

“Well isn’t that nice.” Kitty exclaimed with a warm grin. “How long are you going to be in town?”

“A few weeks at the most—then it’s back to work.”

“So, where are you stationed?” Donna probed.

“Cheyenne Mountain.” Jackie answered back with a smile, seeing no harm in revealing the half-truth.

“NORAD?” Donna further inquired, “So... what do you do there?”

“Deep space radar telemetry.” Jackie responded, using the standard cover story. 

Shaking her head, Kitty changed the subject, “I just can’t believe how close you resemble our Jackie. One would swear that you were her older sister...”

“Or a future version of her.” Donna added with a chuckle.

Laughing nervously, Jackie responded, “Yeah...that would be a kick in the teeth, wouldn’t it?”

“Sure would.” Donna laughed before continuing, “No offense, Major, but there’s no way I could ever see your cousin in any sort of uniform other than a cheerleader’s.”

“I did some cheerleading when I was younger.” Jackie laughed. “Anyway, you never know where you’re going to end up in life. Who knows...you could end up getting married and having a couple of kids...”

“Yeah, right.” Donna laughed in amusement. “Tell you what...I’ll make a bet with you. If your cousin ends up in the military—any branch—I’ll marry Eric and have two point five kids and live with him in a two car garage in the suburbs.”

“Deal.” Jackie responded with a knowing grin as she extended her hand to seal the wager. “But I’ll settle for just two kids—that point five would be awfully messy.”

“So... where are you staying?” Kitty asked. “The Burckhardts?”

Not wanting to meet her parents, Jackie answered back, “No. Let’s just say that it wouldn’t be a good idea for me to show up on their front door. There are…well…let’s just say there are some family issues and leave it at that.”

“Fair enough.” Kitty nodded her head as her eyes betrayed her curiosity over this potentially juicy bit of gossip. “I guess can see where that might be inconvenient.”

“Yeah.” Jackie smiled back as she continued to spin her cover story, “I wish I could tell you more, but…let’s just say that my parents and hers got into it several years ago and neither side’s gotten over it. That’s okay though.” She shrugged her shoulders, “I’ll just get a room at the motel. I recall seeing a vacancy sign on my way over.”

“You can’t stay at that dump, Major.” Kitty protested. “You can stay in my daughter’s old room.”

“I don’t want to be an imposition.” Jackie demurred only to have Kitty cut her off with a broad grin.

“You’re not imposing!” Kitty replied, "Our daughter just moved to an apartment across town. We’ve got plenty of space.”

Remembering that this was the time that Red was out of work and Kitty working double shifts, Jackie insisted, “Well…all right…but on one condition. I pay rent for the room.”

Resisting her first impulse to turn down the offer of rent, Kitty, reluctantly admitting to herself that her family needed the money, accepted, “All right. If you insist. We’ll work out how much later—okay?”

“Okay.” Jackie smiled back.

“What about Red?” Donna inquired.

“Red won’t be any problems.” Kitty answered back with a chuckle. “Especially once he finds out that Jackie’s in the armed forces and that she’s paying rent.” Leaning over, she whispered conspiratorially, “He’ll probably bore you with all his war stories.”

Remembering with fondness Red’s stories that he told her once she got her commission, Jackie smiled warmly, “I don’t mind. I’ll bet he’s got a million of ‘em.”

“You’d win that bet!” Kitty laughed. Glancing at the remnants of everyone’s meal, Kitty smiled, “Looks like we’re all done here so let’s go and get you settled in. Then we’ll head over to the mall to meet your cousin.”

Donna remarked, “Our Jackie said something about checking out the latest outfits. She should be there for some time.” 

“And then what, Kelso?” Fez asked as he swiped a handful of potato chips from the bag in Eric’s hands.

“Yeah, Kelso...” Hyde encouraged with a knowing smirk, “Tell us more!”

“Well...Pam Macy and I were at Mount Hump...” Michael Kelso said as he began to recount his story for the umpteenth time, “But...”

“You’re cheating on Jackie again!” Fez exclaimed, the tone in his voice reflecting both disgust and admiration for his womanizing friend. “It’s not enough that you’re doing it with Eric’s sister…”

“I wasn’t cheating on Jackie!” Kelso protested through the haze of the Circle, “And Laurie doesn’t count because I dumped her when she moved to her new apartment.”

“Yeah…right.” Eric chuckled as he delivered his burn, “Me and Donna heard you crying all the way from the Hub.”

“Face it, man.” Hyde smirked, piling on. “Laurie dumped you.”

“So now you gotta cheat on Jackie with Pam Macy.” Fez sighed disapprovingly and then added in a soft voice that only Kelso could hear, “You don’t deserve her you whore.”

“Hey!” Kelso protested, “All we did was make out—we didn’t ‘Do It’ or anything like that! So...” Kelso concluded, “...because we didn’t Do It, I didn’t cheat on her. And Laurie didn’t dump me!”

“Whatever you say...” Eric chuckled and then went back to the original subject, “So what happened next.”

“I told you!” Kelso replied, “There was this old woman with four...”

“Rejects from a Hercules movie.” Hyde laughed sarcastically, “Who appeared inside a bunch of rings.”

“Yeah.” Kelso exclaimed, “And then she looked at me and Pam and said something weird and then...I don’t remember. Pam was gone, and I was lying down on the ground. When I saw Pam at school the next morning and asked her what happened, she got this weird look on her face and told me to get lost.”

“Ha!” Hyde laughed, the others soon joining in, “She told me later on what happened—that you couldn’t...”

“Get the job done.” Eric finished with a smirk.

“That’s not true!” Kelso protested, raising his voice. “I’ve never had that problem! I’m Jackie’s Apollo Rocket of Love!”

“Riiiight...” Steven drawled as he took a sip from the beer that he had pilfered earlier from the Forman’s fridge. “You just go on believing that Kelso.”

As Kitty’s car pulled into the Forman’s driveway, a wave of nostalgia passed over Jackie as her eyes fell on the old Vista Cruiser. Her lips turned up into a warm smile as she remembered all the good times she had inside that car. 

 

_“Donna...you have to believe me, I have no idea whose panties those are!”  
“Those are my panties!”_

 

“What’s so funny?” Donna inquired as she saw the Air Force officer sitting in the front seat next to Kitty laughing.

“Oh...it was nothing.” Jackie lied as she stifled a laugh, “Just an old joke someone at work told me a while back...”

“Well...here we are.” Kitty announced as she cut off the ignition to the Toyota. Getting out of the car first, Mrs. Forman called out as she opened the trunk, “Red! Come on out—we’ve got company!”

Coming from the garage, the three women heard a loud yelp followed by a “Dammit, Bob!” and then a string of curses ending with, “Dumbass!”

“Oh boy!” Kitty sighed as her husband stormed out of the garage holding his thumb wrapped up in a towel followed by a sheepish looking Bob Pinciotti carrying a hammer in his hand. “What happened, Red?”

“Bob hit me in on the thumb with that hammer! What do you think happened, Kitty?” Red stormed as Bob shuffled his feet while looking down. Turning his attention back to the frizzy haired Bob, Red spat out, “I ought to stick my foot up your...!”

“Here... let me see it, Red.” Kitty commanded as she took her husband’s hand in hers and unwrapped the towel. Inspecting the thumb, the experienced nurse declared in a motherly voice, “Yup...it’s swollen all right. Nothing serious though. I’ll spray it with some Bactine and wrap it up after I introduce you to our new houseguest.”

“Houseguest?” A suspicious Red exclaimed, arching his eyebrows. “Not another kid, Kitty?”

“This is Major Burckhardt. Major Jackie Burckhardt, from the Air Force. She’s our Jackie’s cousin. She even has her name!” Kitty replied with a nervous laugh as she motioned for Jackie to step up. “She’ll be staying in Laurie’s room for a few days. She also offered to pay rent.” Kitty declared, not giving her husband the option of refusing. 

“Well…that’s different then!” Red exclaimed as his lips turned up in a big grin at the news that this house guest would be a paying one. Glancing at Jackie, the older Forman’s heart skipped a beat as he immediately saw how closely she resembled the teenage girl who frequented his basement with the others. Giving her a careful appraisal, the retired navy man’s eyebrows raised again as he spotted first the silver pilot’s wings on her chest and then the ribbons below the wings. 

“Impressive fruit salad.” Red remarked as he recognized the ribbons for the Purple Heart and Silver Star. Red then looked straight at Jackie, “Where did you earn those medals?”

Jackie simply matched the older man’s gaze, replying in the voice she used when speaking to an NCO whom she respected, but also who occasionally had to be reminded of his place, “That’s classified, but you better believe I earned them and I have the scars to prove it.”

Satisfied, Red nodded his head, “My apologies, Major. Don’t worry about your stuff. I’ll get my boy to move it in.”

“Speaking of Eric,” Kitty inquired, “Where is he? Wasn’t he supposed to be mowing the lawn?”

“The Head Dumbass broke the damned lawnmower in that tall grass over there.” Red growled, “He’s with the other Dumbasses in Dumbass Central. I’ll get him.”

“No... that’s ok, Mr. Forman.” Donna quickly interrupted, “I’ll get him. That’ll give you a chance to get to know the major.” The tall redhead then quickly took off for the basement before anyone could protest, leaving an amused Jackie with the Formans and Donna’s father.

“So... you’re Jackie’s cousin?” Bob asked as Kitty administered first aid to her husband.

“Yep.” Jackie replied through gritted teeth, resigning herself to the boring conversation she knew was to come.

Breezing into the basement, Donna fanned the smoky, acrid haze away from her as she exclaimed to the bleary-eyed boys seated around the old coffee table. “You guys will never believe who’s standing in the driveway right now!”

“Led Zeppelin.” Hyde sarcastically remarked.

“Princess Leia.” An equally mocking Eric chimed in.

“Midge naked!” Kelso laughed as Hyde punched him in the forearm while Donna slapped him in the back of the head at the same time.

“No! Dillhole!” Donna huffed, “It’s Jackie’s cousin from the Air Force. And guess what—her name’s Jackie too!”

Seeing a chance to enjoy a good burn and yet again make a fool out of Kelso, Hyde prompted, “This is your chance, Kelso. You know the Air Force investigates UFOs and all that. Why don’t you tell her about what you saw?”

“Yeah!” Kelso agreed with a goofy grin on his face as he rose to his feet, “Let’s go!”

“That must be her.” Eric observed as the group emerged from the basement and made their way to the driveway where they saw a woman about Jackie’s height with short black hair and wearing a blue Air Force uniform with gold oak leaves on the shoulders. Taking a deep breath, Eric called out, “Mom? Dad?”

“Son!” Red commanded, motioning with his hand for Eric to come forward. “I want you to meet Major Burckhardt.”

As the petite Air Force officer turned around to reveal her facial features, the jaws of all the boys dropped simultaneously.

“I don’t believe it.” Eric gasped as he immediately noticed the close resemblance between the major and the Jackie they all knew.

“No...” Kelso shook his head in disbelief, “Can’t be...”

“They could be...” Fez began.

“Twin sisters.” Hyde finished.

“Eric! Get over here before I put my foot up your ass!”

Shaken out of his stupor by his father’s threat, Eric rushed forward. “Yeah, Dad?”

“I want you to take the major’s things to Laurie’s room. She’ll be staying with us for a while.”

“Ok, Dad.” The younger Forman responded as he picked up Jackie’s suitcases and bags.

Watching as her old friend departed with her gear, Jackie laughed as she whispered in a voice that only Red could hear, “Nothing better than a foot-assisted take-off to get a guy motivated.”

Laughing, Red decided immediately that he liked this officer, “It’s always worked for me.”

“Ummm...Major...” 

Turning about, Jackie’s heart skipped a beat as she immediately recognized the stupid grin on the face of her old high school lover. Stopping herself from calling him by his name, Jackie responded with a simple, “Yes.”

“Go ahead, man!” Hyde prompted with an elbow to his friend’s side, “Tell her.”

“All right! I will! Give me a moment!” Kelso retorted before recounting the story he had told the guys earlier in the basement.

As she listened to Michael’s tale, a dark cloud briefly crossed Jackie’s features when he stumbled over the part about his rendezvous with Pam Macy. _So that’s where he was! I always wondered what the cretin was doing then_. Then, when he recalled how the older woman with her guards had suddenly appeared in the middle of a set of rings, Jackie’s blood ran cold as she immediately recognized what her old boyfriend had seen.

_Eris. She’s here._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Originally, I had intended for this story to take place during fourth season, but, after rewatching season 2, I decided that season 2 was actually a better time to set it. I liked Midge and Bob much more than Bob and Joanna (To be honest, I found Joanna boring--no reflection on the actress playing the role, it's just that she didn't have much in the range of character building). I also didn't care too much for how they separated Eric and Donna--the idea of a temporary separation wasn't a bad one--it was actually a very good one, but I think it was executed poorly. It's also going to be fun to see older Jackie's responses to her younger self.


	3. Everything Old is New

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jackie gets settled in and has a run in with her younger self.

_Forman House: 1977_

“Go away, Kelso.” Red growled as he jerked his thumb back. Turning to his guest, Red smiled. “I’ll show you to your room, Major. What did I just tell you, Eric?” Red commanded, “Get the Major’s bags and follow us.”

Sighing inwardly at Red’s normally harsh treatment towards the lanky teenager, Jackie smiled, “Thanks...Eric.”

“Here…” Donna said as she took one of the major’s bags from her boyfriend’s hands. “I’ll help.”

A wave of nostalgia again hit Jackie as she entered the Forman living room with its comfortable sofa, Kitty’s coffee table, and Red’s favorite chair positioned so that he always had the best view of the television screen. “Nice place.” Jackie said, a note of soft sincerity in her voice. “It looks very homey...”

“Thanks.” A pleased Kitty responded as the group began the climb up the stairs to Laurie’s room. “It’s not fancy or anything, but we love it...right, Red?”

“Right, Kitty.” Red agreed. “So, Major...where’s home for you?”

“You know how it goes.” Jackie chuckled, “Home’s wherever Uncle Sam sends me.”

Laughing, Red nodded his head, “Yeah...I remember those days.”

“Didn’t you say that you were going to Colorado, Major,” Kitty interjected.

“Yeah.” Jackie affirmed, “Cheyenne Mountain.”

On hearing that, Eric spoke up, “NORAD?”

“Yep.” Jackie replied, her voice inflection and head gesture momentarily catching Donna by surprise. Seeing the questioning expression on Eric’s face, Donna quickly shook her head.

“So... can you tell us what you do?”

“Deep space something or other...” Kitty interjected with a slight chuckle as the major nodded her head once.

“Radar telemetry. Whatever that is.” Donna interjected as Jackie barely suppressed a chuckle.

“Wow!” Eric gasped, the Star Wars fan inside him coming out. “Is that some sort of alien thing...”

“I’m sorry...” Jackie responded with a friendly grin, “But I really can’t talk about it any further.”

“Then that’s the end of discussion on the subject.” Red declared authoritatively, shooting Kitty, Donna, and Eric a stern gaze. “I am curious though...” The old veteran remarked, “...about that silver star and those purple hearts you have. Can you talk about those?”

“I’m sorry.” Jackie sighed as she spoke in a soft voice. “Like I said earlier, that’s another one of those things I can’t talk about.”

As he gazed into the young major’s suddenly haunted eyes, Red, remembering similar expressions on the faces of young soldiers, sailors, and Marines as well as his own reflection in the mirror, responded in an almost uncharacteristically gentle and soft voice, “I understand.” 

“Thank you.” Jackie whispered back as the tiny group entered Laurie’s recently vacated bedroom.

“Well...here we are.” Kitty exclaimed, deliberately injecting a cheerful note into her voice. “Our daughter’s more or less in between moving. She’s moved most of her things out already and Steven hasn’t had time to move in yet, so there’s plenty of room for all your stuff.” She then turned to her husband, “Where are we going to put Laurie if she decides she wants to spend the night?”

“We’ll put her into Eric’s room and he can sleep on the couch.” Red decided, not giving his son any options.

“Look…I don’t want to be a bother.” Jackie declared, “I can crash on the couch or on a cot or the floor. I’m used to roughing it.”

“You’re definitely not our Jackie.” Eric quipped only to be silenced by a glare from his father.

Jackie’s lips turned up in a grin as she answered Eric’s jibe, “You might be surprised what my cousin can do when she sets her mind to it.”

“Don’t worry about the room, Major.” Kitty declared, “If Laurie decides she wants to sleep here, we’ll take care of it.” Then turning to her son, she requested, “Eric, honey? Why don’t you put the major’s things by the bed.”

“Sure thing, Mom.” The lanky teenager replied as he placed the suitcases where his mother indicated. “If it’s ok with you, Mom and Dad, I’m going to go back out.”

“Thanks, hon!” Kitty replied as she gave her son a quick peck on his cheek. Turning her attention to the major, Mrs. Forman said, “We better get moving if we want to catch your cousin at the mall. Besides, I need to pick up some cheddar for tonight’s fondue.”

“Fondue?” Red exclaimed, his facial expression a mixture of irritation and dread.

“Don’t tell me you forgot, Red.” An exasperated Kitty responded. “Bob and Midge are coming over.” Turning to Jackie, she added, “You’re invited too, Major. “

“Oh boy...” Jackie muttered in a soft voice, shuddering inwardly as she glanced at the tacky posters belonging to Laurie still hanging on the wall. Exiting the house, she followed Kitty and Donna to the Toyota as Eric joined his friends in the driveway. Deliberately hanging back in an effort to avoid attracting attention, Red’s attentive gaze fell fully on the major as the women walked away.

“There’s something familiar about her...” The Forman patriarch muttered under his breath, “Something very familiar. I can’t place it, but I will...”

=================================================================================================================================================================================================================

Watching as the Kitty’s Toyota pulled out of the driveway Hyde turned to his friend, “Find out anything, Forman?”

“Not really.” Eric replied, shaking his head. “She’s on her way to Colorado and stopped off here to see her cousin.”

“She looks so much like our Jackie.” Fez sighed longingly. “But with short hair and a uniform.”

“I don’t trust her.” Hyde flatly stated, “She’s part of the government.” He then declared, “No circles when she’s here. If she finds out what we’re doing, she’ll narc on us for sure.”

Eric shook his head, “I think you’re overreacting Hyde. She didn’t seem that bad to me. Actually, she was kinda nice. Nothing at all like her cousin, the devil.”

“I still don’t trust her.” Hyde replied, “And what I said stands—no circles while she’s on the property.”

“Then we better get one going now.” Fez suggested to the applause of the others.

“Yeah…let’s go!” 

“What are we waiting for?”

==================================================================================================================================================================================

 

“You know what would be neat?” Kelso exclaimed, his lips turned up in a grin that was both lecherous and goofy, “Doing it with both of them…”

“Kelso…” Eric shook his head, “She’s gotta be at least thirty!”

“But that just means she’s more experienced.” The dull teenager replied as a dim light bulb switched on in his head.

“You got a point, Kelso.” Fez agreed, “She’s so hot!”

“Every man’s fantasy.” Hyde smirked.

“Yeah…” Fez licked his lips, “Cousins…”

_“I hope you don’t mind, Fez…” Jackie, wearing her cheerleader’s outfit, caressed the foreign exchange student’s cheek as she kissed him lightly on the lips. “You’re so much man for me that I had to ask my cousin to join us.”_

_An older version of Jackie, her hair cut in a pixie-style cut covered by an air force officer’s hat, and wearing a light shirt tied up to expose her midriff, short blue dress, black stockings and stiletto heels, approached slapping a riding crop in the palm of her hands. “I hear you’ve been a bad boy, Fez.”_

_“Yes…Fez has been very bad.”_

“Cousins—Yeah!” Kelso groaned as he fantasized…

_“Hello, ladies…” Kelso drooled as Jackie and her cousin, both wearing see-through nighties, slowly drew closer to him._

_“Hey, Michael…this is my cousin…she wants to join us.”_

_“Okay!”_

=======================================================================================================================================================================

_Point Place Mall: 1977_

 

Jackie smiled warmly as she walked down the mall flanked on either side by Donna and Kitty. The major felt yet another wave of nostalgia as her senses took in long-forgotten sights, sounds, and smells. Her mouth watered as her nostrils took in the aroma of freshly made pretzels which wafted from a pretzel shop that had closed its doors in 1992. 

She heard the sound of cheers and laughter along with the unmistakable boobooobooobooop sound as someone’s voice drowned out the sound of the Pac Man machine coming from the arcade that had closed in ’93. Smiling, Jackie saw Mitch waving his arms and cursing as he stormed away from the machine in disgust. She then spotted the cheese shop where she would work when her father cut her off for going out with Kelso again. 

“If you’re looking for cheese, Mrs.…ummm…Kitty…” Jackie suggested, inclining her head towards the cheese shop, “I bet they have a pretty good selection.” 

After paying for her order, Kitty and her companions walked away. Glancing at the major, Donna whispered to Kitty, “Did you see the look on the major’s face when that guy was taking our order?”

“You mean the nice blond haired boy?” Kitty whispered back, “Yeah. It was almost like…”

“She knew him.” Donna finished.

“Well…he must have reminded her of someone she knew.” Kitty concluded, not really believing her words.

“Maybe.” Donna replied, not entirely convinced, “But I don’t know. Something seems off…”

Then, Jackie saw it—Halverson’s Department Store. Her lips turned up in a warm grin as she remembered the many hours she spent there trying on and buying with her father’s money outfits, perfumes, and jewelry. In her time, that space would be occupied by an outlet store, but now, there, in all its glory, the department store stood.  
Entering the store, the three women soon found the object of their search in the women’s section trying to decide which blouse—a baby blue one or a white one with pink trim—to try on first.

“The white one.” The older Jackie suggest, “It works best with your hair and the jeans. The blue one is too bland.”

Placing the blouse against her chest, Younger Jackie’s lips turned up in a grin. “You’re right!” Then turning about, her eyes widened as her mouth opened in wordless shock and surprise.

“Jackie?” Kitty’s voice breaking the spell, the young teenager slowly recovered. “Jackie? Come over here, Dear. There’s someone I want you to meet.”

Major Burkhart flashed a warm, yet sad smile as the younger, more carefree and self-centered version of herself, her eyes still focused on the newcomer in uniform, walked forward. “Yes, Mrs. Forman?” She stammered uncertainly.

“Your cousin from the Air Force just got into town.” Kitty announced with a happy chuckle, “And guess what—her name’s Jackie too!”

A look of doubt and suspicion immediately appeared on the younger Jackie’s face, “I don’t recall having any cousins in the Air Force Mrs. Forman.”

“We’re distant cousins.” The older Jackie interrupted. “From your father’s side of the family. You wouldn’t recognize me—we’ve never met.” Then, her lips turning up into a warm grin, the older Jackie added as she somewhat nervously extended her hand, “I’m glad to finally meet you.”

As the younger version of Jackie tentatively took the Air Force officer’s hand, she suddenly began to feel lightheaded. Strange, bizarre images and shapes flashed in and out of her mind so fast that she couldn’t quite grasp them. Feeling sick to her stomach, she began to feel faint.

_“Where am I?” The younger Jackie screamed as pitch black surrounded her. Pushing up with her hands, she felt something solid and hard. Something that would not budge no matter how hard she pushed._

_“Let me out of here!” She screamed in terror as the solid barrier slid open. Covering her eyes from the sudden light, Jackie heard a voice—a deep voice filled with arrogance and menace._

_“Good...bring her to me.”_

_“Yes, Queen Eris.” A male voice answered in response._

_Rough hands pulled her out of the box and dragged her before a wizened older woman with glowing eyes. “Kneel before your goddess!” The woman commanded with the deep voice that Jackie had heard earlier. Rough hands stripped her of the gown she was wearing as they pushed her to her knees. The old woman then proceeded to walk around the kneeling Jackie, carefully inspecting. “Yes...” The old woman declared, “She will make a most excellent host for Medea.”_

The major, also feeling woozy at this momentary contact with her younger self slumped to the floor…

_“I mean it!” Michael Kelso declared to his friends sitting down together in the Hub, Hyde munching down on fries while Eric sipped from a soda and Donna squirted ketchup on a burger. “I’m breaking up with Jackie.”_

_“Well…here’s your chance, man.” Hyde challenged as Jackie entered the hangout and, at once spotting the little group, approached her friends._

_“I’ll do it!” Kelso announced as he got up out of his chair._

_“Do it!” They all shouted in unison as Jackie drew closer._

_“Do what, Michael?” Jackie asked as she looked up at her boyfriend, raising an eyebrow in query. “What do you want tell me?”_

_“Ummm…” The good-natured oaf’s lips turned up in a silly grin, “That you’re the cutest girl in the Hub?”_

_“Just the Hub?” Jackie challenged._

_“No!” Kelso shook his head, “I mean the whole town!”_

_“Just the town?” The young teenager’s lips turned up in a self-satisfied grin._

_“No! The whole world!”_

_Nodding her head once in triumph, Jackie deigned to give her boyfriend a peck on the lips, “Thank you, Michael. Now get me a burger while I pop into the restroom.”  
“Okay, Jackie!”_

_As Jackie walked away, she could barely hear Eric’s whiny voice, “I told you he wouldn’t do it.”_

_“Pay up.” Hyde smirked as Eric and Donna both handed five dollar bills to their friend._

_“We’re never going to get rid of her.” Eric moaned._

_“Tell me about it.” Donna grumbled in response._

_Barely holding back her sobs as she heard the people she considered to be her friends run her down, Jackie’s eyes were drawn to a picture hanging on the wall next to the pinball machine. It was of two fighter planes in flight. Their graceful forms darting through white puffy clouds. “So pretty.” Jackie whispered. “I wish I could fly through the clouds._

_So pretty and free…” The young teenager’s reverie was suddenly interrupted by her friend’s raspy voice._

_“You okay, Jackie?_

 

“Jackie?”

The woozy teenager woke up to find a concerned Donna looking down at her. 

“Ooooohhh...what happened?” Major Burkhart moaned as she came to consciousness. 

“It’s ok, Dear.” Kitty replied as she helped the major back up to her feet. “You just had a dizzy spell.” The older woman remarked, her eyebrows raised, “You and your cousin both fainted at the same time—right when the two of you touched. I’ve never seen anything like it.”

“Neither have I.” Donna said to Mrs. Forman as she helped the younger Jackie to her feet. “You fainted, Jackie. So did the major.” Donna said as she gestured with her head to where Kitty was kneeling next to the dark haired officer. “It was the weirdest thing.”

Shaking her head, the teenage Jackie looked at her older self who was currently being helped up by Kitty. “I don’t believe it. She looks so much like me.” 

“Tell me about it.” Donna whispered back. “It’s spooky.”

“Are you two feeling better?” Kitty inquired as major picked her cap up from the floor.

“I’m all right, Mrs. Forman.” The younger Jackie replied with a shaky grin.

“Same here.” The older Jackie affirmed. “I guess it’s just the jet lag catching up with me. But...I think I’d like to cut our shopping trip short today, if that’s ok by you.”

“Of course, Dearie.” Kitty responded with a maternal look on her face. “A short nap will probably do you good.” Turning towards the young teenager who had also fainted, Kitty asked, “And how are you feeling dear. You want to go home with us?”

“No thanks, Mrs. Forman.” Young Jackie replied in a shaky voice, “I think I want a soda or something.”

“She can come home with me, if that’s all right with you, Mrs. Forman?” Donna offered. “I can give Eric a call to pick us up.”

“Well...” Kitty drawled as she considered Donna’s offer, “If that’s what you want.” Turning her attention back towards Jackie, Mrs. Forman said, “Your cousin’s staying in Laurie’s old room while she’s visiting you, Jackie, so you can see her anytime you’d like.”

“Thank you, Mrs. Forman.” Young Jackie politely responded, the expression on her face and eyes indicating her reluctance to take Kitty up on her offer.

Older Jackie flashed a friendly grin, “I understand—you’ve got a lot to do. I’ll be around for a few days if you want to look me up—maybe we can go shopping or something—I need to get some new clothes and perhaps you’d like to help me.”  
Rising to the bait of a shopping trip, the younger Jackie smiled back, “Maybe.” 

================================================================================================================================================================

“It was the weirdest thing...” Young Jackie said much later as she took her place in the basement next to Kelso. “We both fainted and it felt like my head was about to explode from all the strange stuff.”

“What sort of stuff?” Hyde asked, his lips curling up in a derisive smirk. 

Barely repressing a shudder, Jackie responded, her voice almost a whisper, “Bad stuff. Some of it really bad. I can’t...” she choked as images of people with glowing eyes and snake-like creatures flashed through her mind, “...I can’t talk about it. It’s just too...” Shaking her head, she staggered to her feet, “I gotta go. I need some air.”

“Damn!” An utterly clueless Kelso exclaimed, “Jackie...were you getting stoned without us?”

A look of genuine concern briefly crossing the burnout’s face, Hyde punched his oblivious friend on the shoulder as he replied in an almost inaudible tone, “I don’t think she’s on anything man. Something really spooked her.”

“For real?” A suddenly concerned Kelso replied as he rubbed his sore shoulder.

“Maybe I ought to go check on her.” Donna suggested as she slowly rose to her feet. “I’ll be back in a bit.”

“Hey!” Donna called out as she spotted the younger Jackie sitting on the front steps of her house, head hanging down. “You ok.”

“Yeah...” Jackie responded with a shaky grin as she looked up to see the tall redhead who had become one of her closest friends, “No...” she then confessed as she shook her head. “I don’t know...”

“Wanna talk about it?” Donna asked as she sat down next to her friend.

Shaking her head, Jackie whimpered, “I want to...but I don’t know where to begin. It’s all so weird.”

“What do you mean weird?” Donna inquired, “Weird as in Fez’s needs weird or weird as in Hyde’s paranoia weird?”

“Neither.” Jackie replied with a half-hearted chuckle. Her laughter quickly dying, the tormented young girl looked up into the eyes of her friend as tears streamed down, “Weird as in I think I’m going crazy weird.”

Seeing the fear in her friend’s eyes, Donna impulsively hugged her close as she cooed gently, “It’ll be all right. Now...just tell me all about it.”

It was as if a dam burst as Jackie poured everything out while Donna sat quietly and listened. Minutes later, the tall redhead exclaimed as she regarded her still sobbing friend, “People wearing Egyptian and Greek clothes and glowing eyes? This is the sort of thing I’d expect to hear from Kelso, but you’re not making this up...are you?”

Sighing as her friend shook her head, Donna inquired, “So... this all hit you when you touched your cousin?”

“Yeah.” Jackie affirmed with a nod of her head. “I also felt something else...a... connection of some sort. Like we’re tied together. That if something were to happen to one of us, the other one would...I can’t explain it, Donna, but it’s there and it’s real.”

“Weird.” Donna remarked as almost hysterical laughter escaped from her friend.

“I told you.” Jackie gasped as she both laughed and cried.

Glancing back at the Forman home, Donna caught a glimpse of the newcomer looking at them through the bedroom window. Cocking her head slightly, the tall redhead placed a comforting arm around her friend’s shoulders, “C’mon. We better get back to the others.”

======================================================================================================================================================

Watching the redheaded teenager console her younger self from the window in Laurie’s room, older Jackie sighed mournfully as she whispered softly, “I’m so sorry...”

“Sorry about what?”

Turning about rapidly, Jackie immediately recognized Mrs. Forman as she entered the room. “Kitty!”

“I hope I didn’t come at a bad time...” Kitty apologized, “I just wanted to let you know that the fondue’s ready and that Bob and Midge will be here soon. Is everything ok?”

“Yeah.” Jackie responded. “I just needed to get out of this uniform and splash some water on my face.”

“I see.” Kitty replied, “It was so strange...both of you fainting like that just as you touched...I’ve never seen anything like that.”

“Funny, isn’t it?” Jackie chuckled as she slipped on a pair of jeans and a grey t-shirt. “She must have been tired too.”

“Yeah.” Kitty responded, her face masking her doubt, “I’m sure it was just a fluke. Well, Dearie...” Kitty smiled as she rose to her feet, “Just come on down whenever you’re ready.”

“I’ll be down in a moment, Kitty.” Jackie answered back, relieved that the usually persistent Kitty had decided to drop the matter—for now, at least. 

===============================================================================================================================================================================================

“So...” Midge queried as she speared a piece of cheese with her fork and dipped it into the fondue pot, “You’re a pilot?”

 

“I didn’t know they allowed women to be pilots.” Bob observed as he dipped a piece of bread into the bowl without using a fork, much to Red’s disgust.

Scowling, Red growled, “Bob! Use a damned fork!”

“Yeah. There aren’t a lot of us women pilots now...” Jackie replied to both queries with a half-truth as she forked a piece of cheese and then dipped it into the fondue, “...but they’re beginning to let in more. They keep us females mostly restricted to choppers flying non-combat, but...I’ve clocked some hours on jets.” _And an F-302 space fighter_  
.  
“Must be fun...just you up in the clouds...” Kitty remarked wistfully.

“It is.” Jackie responded, her lips curled up in a warm smile as she remembered her moments in the cockpit of F-15s and F-302s, “There’s nothing like it...the blue sky...the curving horizon...the green and brown...wispy clouds...It’s total freedom. I love flying.”

“That’s so neat!’ Midge exclaimed, her mouth agape.

“Wow!” Bob remarked, shaking his head in wonder. “Wish I could do that.”

“Don’t feel bad, Bob.” Red sniped, “Think about all those toilets you got to scrub while you were in the National Guard.”

Giving Bob a sympathetic look, Jackie opened her mouth to intervene only to have Kitty beat her to the punch, “Sounds like you’ve got a great job.” 

“Yeah.” Jackie agreed, “I do. It gets a bit hairy sometimes...but...” she remarked proudly, “We’re doing good stuff...important stuff. I don’t think I’d want to do anything else.”

“Damn right!” Red agreed with a grunt as he drained the last of his beer.

“How ‘bout another beer, Red?” Bob asked as he finished his glass.

“We’re all out in the fridge, but there should be some more in the basement.” Kitty remarked, “Red? You wanna get it?”

“Yeah...I guess.” Red groused only to have his guest come to his rescue.

“Let me get it.” Jackie volunteered, “It’ll give me a chance to stretch my legs a bit.”

“Be my guest.” Red smiled back, “And if you see the kids with any open beers, feel free to kick their asses.”

“Don’t worry, it’ll be my pleasure.” Jackie smiled back as Red laughed.

==============================================================================================================================================================================================

“So, how’s my goddess?” Fez asked as the outside door to the basement opened, revealing Donna.

“Shaken up.” The tall redhead replied as she took her usual seat on the couch. Donna fibbed, “She’s just had a lot of stuff happen recently and it’s all caught up with her.” Glaring at Kelso, she added, “And you could do more to help!”

“Hey!” Kelso opened his mouth to protest, only to be interrupted by a voice coming from the top of the stairs.

“I’m sorry if my coming down here’s causing any problems.” The older Jackie, overhearing Donna’s words, interjected as she walked down the stairs. “I didn’t mean to eavesdrop—just came down to make a beer run.”

“No problems, Major.” Donna quickly replied, cutting off Hyde’s sarcastic remark. “Ummm...” the tall redhead began tentatively, “I was wondering if I could speak to you...in private.”

“Sure.” Major Burkhart replied as she grabbed a six-pack from the refrigerator. “Let me make my excuses upstairs and I’ll meet you outside by the garage...ok by you?”

“That’ll be fine.” Donna responded, letting out a breath. “I’ll see you in a few.”

“What are you gonna talk to her about?” Eric asked as Donna made her way to the basement door.

Shrugging her shoulders, the redhead replied, “I don’t know. Maybe get some answers...I hope.”

=========================================================================================================================================================================================================

 

Approaching the garage Donna gasped as she spotted the woman she had planned to meet. It wasn’t so much the fact that the major was sitting on the hood of the Vista cruiser wearing jeans and a t-shirt that stunned her. No, rather it was the way in which she kicked her feet while she sat there waiting—just like someone she knew—someone very close to her—although the redhead would never admit that Jackie was her friend—at least not in public. Still, she was her friend. _I’m probably_ , Donna mused sadly, _the only true friend that she has_. Shaking away the funk, Donna took a deep breath and called out.

“Major?”

Looking up, Jackie smiled, “Come on and join me.” As Donna sat down on the hood next to the major, Jackie turned her head to the younger version of her old friend, “So... how’s my cousin doing?”

“Better.” Donna replied, “She’s still a little shaken up by what happened at the mall.” Pausing for a moment as she caught her breath, Donna continued, “That’s what I wanted to talk to you about.”

Cocking her head in a familiar gesture, Jackie motioned for Donna to continue, “Oh?”

Sighing, Donna spoke, “Jackie...our Jackie...” the redhead clarified, “Told me some weird stuff...”

“What sort of weird stuff?” The major asked.

“I’m still trying to make sense of it.” Donna answered back, shaking her head. “Thing is...” The redhead exhaled, “Some of the stuff she told me matched a lot of what Kelso told us about...”

“Kelso...” Jackie drawled, stalling for time, “Wasn’t he the one talking about men wearing Egyptian style clothes appearing inside a bunch of rings?”

“Yeah. I know...” Donna laughed, “It sounds stupid. And if it were just Kelso...” The redhead declared, “I’d just put it down as Kelso being Kelso and leave it at that. But...Jackie’s...our Jackie’s...story is so close...I don’t know...” She admitted, “Look, Kelso might be...is... an idiot. Jackie’s anything but. While my Jackie might be an annoying pain in the butt...” Seeing a flash of what appeared to be anger in the older woman’s eyes, Donna quickly backtracked, “I’m sorry...I know she’s your cousin and all, but you don’t know her like I do. Jackie can be pretty irritating when she wants to be—and she wants to be an awful lot.”

Taking a deep breath, the older Jackie remarked, “You know, maybe there’s a reason for that. Maybe she’s that way because she’s insecure...because she’s even a bit intimidated by all of you...and her way of compensating is by being...well...you know.”

“Maybe.” Donna allowed, giving the older woman’s words some thought. “I never looked at it quite that way before, but it does make sense in a way.”

“It’s ok.” Jackie smiled. “Distance sometimes gives you a different perspective. Anyway...you were saying?”

Nodding her head, Donna continued, “It’s just that the stories the two of them told overlap each other so much...”

“Maybe they’re working together...” Jackie smiled, “Maybe the two of them are setting you all up for a prank?”

“No.” Donna replied, shaking her head. “I don’t think so. Kelso’s too stupid to come up with a scheme like that on his own and it’s not Jackie’s style. Besides, she told me that all the stuff she saw was after she fainted at the same time you did...” Donna asserted, looking pointedly at the major, “And... well...I don’t think you’re the type that goes in for high school pranks.”

“No.” The major replied, shaking her head, “I’m not. So...” Jackie asked leadingly, “What do you think is going on?”

“I don’t know yet.” Donna replied as she hopped off the car hood and began to walk away, “But I intend to find out.”

=======================================================================================================================================================================================

 

“It’s safe to come out now, Red!” Kitty called out to her husband, “Bob and Midge have just left.”

Stepping out of the bathroom, Red asked, “And where’s the major?”

“Talking with Donna outside.” Kitty replied and then squinting her eyes, carefully inquired, “Don’t you think there’s something odd about her?”

“I sure do.” Red replied, “I feel like I ought to know her...but I can’t place from where.”

Sighing in relief, Kitty answered back, “I know what you mean, I feel the same way.”

“What are you planning on doing, Kitty?” A suspicious Red demanded.

“I’m just going to go up and dust our guest’s room tomorrow morning when she takes a shower.” Kitty replied with a smile as she started up the stairs. “I’ll tell you if I find anything.”

===================================================================================================================================================================================

 

Waking up early as usual, Jackie glanced at the alarm clock on the bedstead—5:00 AM. Looking out the window, Jackie smiled as she took in the still dark sky. Quickly changing to black sweatpants, running socks and shoes, and a gray sweatshirt with blue trim and USAF on the front, Jackie slipped down the stairs and out the door and began stretching for her morning run. After completing her stretching exercises, the young major began her jog, quietly enjoying the quiet as the first traces of dawn began to appear in the sky.

Watching as her guest slipped out of the house and began her stretching exercises, Kitty waited until the major had left the property before slipping into her room. Making her way to the officer’s opened purse, Kitty immediately noticed a pink envelope sticking out of it. Curious, Mrs. Forman took the card in the envelope out of it and examined it.  
“Oh...how sweet...” The housewife and mother gushed softly, “A birthday card! To Cassie...Happy Birthday from your Aunt Jackie.” A broad grin on her face, Kitty noted, “She even dots her i’s with hearts...” Pausing for a moment as she remembered something Donna had once told her about their Jackie, Kitty gasped, “Dots her i’s with hearts!” Shaking her head, the blonde housewife quickly rejected the notion that had briefly crossed her mind as she slipped the card into a pocket in her apron, “No...it has to be a coincidence.” As she was looking for more clues, Kitty heard Red’s voice.

“Kitty?”

“I’ll be down in a minute, Red!” Kitty called back as she carefully closed the door exactly as she found it and made her way down the stairs.

Immediately figuring out what his wife had just done, Red motioned for her to come over where he was sitting. “So... did you find anything?”

“I don’t know.” Kitty responded with a nervous laugh as her fingers grazed the card hidden in her apron. “I think I need to talk with Donna before school.

==============================================================================================================================================================================================

 

Jackie ran, enjoying the crisp morning air until a voice caused her to pause..

“Morning, Major.”

Turning about, Jackie saw the lieutenant colonel she met yesterday, also dressed in sweats, jogging towards her.

“Morning, Colonel.” Jackie smiled, returning the man’s greeting.

“It’s Jeff when we’re not on duty.” The colonel smiled as he came to a stop in front of the major.

“Okay, Jeff. I’m Jackie..” Jackie smiled back.

“I see you like taking a morning run too.” Jeff observed as the pair began to jog side-by-side.

“Yeah.” Jackie replied, “I started running before I entered the Air Force. It helps to clear my head and focus on the day ahead.”

“Same here.” Jeff agreed, flashing a toothy grin, “I need to have my wits about me to deal with the students.”

“I’ll bet you’ve got some live ones.” Jackie chuckled.

“Yeah.” Jeff laughed, “You already ran into Moose Johnson.” Shaking his head, he remarked, “We found out pretty quickly about the ass-chewing you gave him and gave him another one before taking his stripes away from him.” His laughter fading away, he let out a breath of air, “The principal’s already on to me about giving him his stripes back.”

“Why?” Jackie inquired, “From what I heard, he’s a bully and he was a mess when I lit into him. Let me guess…” The major let out a breath of air, already knowing the answer, “He’s on the football team too.”

“Right on all counts.” The colonel affirmed, “Him and a couple of jocks from the football team like to gang up on some of the students. For a while, they were picking on a foreign exchange student who just started here this year. That seems to have stopped though. From what I hear, the Hyde kid put a stop to it.”

As her companion spoke, Jackie’s memory hearkened back to when she learned about Fez’s first encounter with the group…

_Point Place, 1976_

As Jackie Burkhart walked the halls of Point Place High in her cheerleader uniform, she was on cloud nine. It wasn’t often a sophomore made the first team. That honor almost always fell juniors and seniors, something Cherise Collins, the head cheerleader made sure to let Jackie know in no uncertain terms.

“Screw them!” Jackie huffed, “If they can’t see that I’m the prettiest and cutest cheerleader and that I have the most school spirit, then they can all jump off Point Lookout.” 

Her status as first squad cheerleader, along with dating Michael Kelso, considered by many of the girls to be the cutest boy in the school—even if he wasn’t the smartest—made her one of the most popular girls in the school. Not a bad accomplishment for a sophomore. “Who cares how smart he is.” Jackie said to herself, “The only things that matter is that he’s cute and he buys me stuff.” 

Spotting her boyfriend hanging out with his friends and a strange chocolate-skinned boy with what looked like oily black hair, Jackie approached and waved, “Michael!”

“Jackie!” Kelso waved in return, beckoning his girlfriend over, much to the irritation of his friends.

“Why did you have to call her over?” Hyde grumbled in a low voice as he adjusted his shades.

“Yeah.” Eric agreed, “I thought you were going to break up with her.”

“I will!” Kelso declared, “I’m just waiting until we do it first!”

Reaching the group, Jackie looked up at her boyfriend and smiled, “Michael! You’ll never guess what happened!”

“Someone stink-bombed the teachers’ lounge?” Michael replied.

“That was you…you dillhole.” Hyde remarked as he frogged his friend on the shoulder.

“Ohhh…that was a good one, Hyde.”  
“I made first squad!” Jackie exclaimed as she jumped up and down with glee. “Aren’t you glad? You’re going out with a first team cheerleader now!”

The dusky-skinned young man then spoke, “I am very happy for you.” He then fell to one knee and took Jackie’s hand, “My love goddess.”

Pulling her hand away and stepping back, Jackie scowled, “Ewwww…”

“Oh…Jackie…” Kelso introduced, “This is Captain Poo-Face. Ummm…I mean Fez.”

“He’s the new foreign exchange student.” Eric explained.

“Ugh…I’ve got foreigner germs on me. Now, I’ve got to go and wash them off.” With a disgusted look on her face, she quickly turned about and flounced away.

===============================================================================================================================================================================================

_Point Place, 1977_

 

 _I really was a bitch back then_. Jackie thought somberly to herself as she listened to Jeff speak. _Jeff really does have a great voice. Kind of like Russell Crowe—even looks a bit like him_.

“Anyway, Johnson got those stripes before me and the Master Sergeant took over the program this year. The old command staff was…well…they were local retirees—most of them National Guard who never served a day of active duty and they were all tied into the crap that goes on around here.”

“And Moose Johnson’s father…” Jackie drawled.

“Is a Platinum Booster and in tight with your cousin’s father and the school board.”

“Oh.” Jackie shook her head remarking sympathetically, “If I know my…uncle…he’s threatening to cut your funding or…”

“Kill us and bring in the squid or zoomie JROTC programs.” Jeff concluded, giving Jackie an apologetic look, “No offense.”

“None taken.” Jackie smiled back, “You grunts were here first.” Then, her lips turning to scowl, she remarked, “That sounds like something Jack Burkhart would do.”

“I take it you two don’t get along.” Jeff gently observed.

“You might say that.” Jackie replied and then quickly inquired before she could go off on a rant against her father, “So what are you going to do?”

“Jack Burkhart and the rest of the boosters can go to hell.” The lieutenant colonel declared. “If Johnson wants those stripes back and to pass the course with a C, he’s going to have to clean up his act and earn both.”

“Good!” Jackie smiled in approval. Glancing at the man running beside her, the young major took a few moments to enjoy gazing at his muscular physique, well chiseled face, and, most importantly, the lack of a wedding or engagement ring on his finger, asking with a slight lilt to her voice, “So…what do you like to do when you’re not in school fighting with principals and rotten local officials?”

“Well…other than running…” Jeff’s lips turned up in a shy grin, “I’m a big football fan…”

“Same here!” Jackie exclaimed, “What’s your team?”

“Other than Army in college football?” Jeff chuckled, “I’m a Colts fan. What about you?”

“Air Force in college football, naturally.” Jackie smirked, “And for the pros, I root for the Broncos.”

“We’re both in enemy country then. This place is a sea of pukey Packer yellow and green.” Jeff laughed. His lips turning up in a wicked grin, he teased, “Wanna make a bet on the Air Force-Army game this weekend?”

Jackie matched her companion’s grin with one of her own. “What’s the bet?”

“How about dinner at the Vineyard?”

“Sounds good. But I gotta warn you…” Jackie smirked, “I’ve got expensive tastes.”

“That’s okay.” Jeff grinned, “I’m a meat and potatoes guy myself.”

“All right!” Jackie exclaimed as she held out her hand, “It’s a bet.” Coming up on the Forman home, the runners slowed down to a halt. “Nice run. Thanks for the company.”

“Thank you. It was fun.” Jeff replied, querying, “Staying at the Formans?”

“Yeah.” Jackie replied. “I’m renting a room from them.”

“They’re good people.” Jeff declared, “I’ve met them a few times in town and I was at Red’s last Fourth of July barbecue. He’s got a bit of a temper, but Kitty’s a sweetheart, and their boy’s a good kid.” His lips turned down in a frown, “The less said about their daughter, though, from what I’ve heard and the little I’ve seen of her, the better.”

“Agreed on all counts.” Jackie replied as the couple reached the sliding glass doors. “Well…I better get in and grab a shower.”

“Yeah. I need to get back home too and get ready for work.” Jeff smiled, “Don’t forget, you’ve got a standing invitation to come by our office.”

“I might just take you up on that today.” Jackie grinned back, “I’m planning on renting a car and dropping off one of my uniforms at the dry cleaners, so I’ll try to swing by.”

“Great! We’ll have a pot of fresh coffee brewing for you.” Jeff’s grin broadened as he waved goodbye, “See you later!”

“Later!” Jackie waved back as she entered through the glass doors.

“I see you met someone.” Kitty giggled as she busied herself in the kitchen while her husband read the paper.

“Jeff?” Jackie chuckled, “Yeah…we met jogging. He’s a nice guy. Got a tough job at the school. He’s the new JROTC commandant.”

“I hope he’s tougher than the wimp that was there last year.” Red scowled, “That one was a wuss. He let everyone push him around.”

“Yeah.” Jackie nodded her head, “I don’t think Jeff’s going to put up with that crap.”

“Good!” Red exclaimed, “Those kids need a good swift kick in their asses.”

“Well….” Jackie laughed, “He and the Master Sergeant will give it to them.”

“So…Jeff…huh?” Kitty teased.

“Yeah.” Jackie smiled back and then, taking a good whiff of her body odor, joked, “I better go and grab a shower and get changed before my smell ruins your meal.”

“Okay, dearie.” Kitty responded, “Breakfast should be ready by the time you’re done.”

After showering and changing into her spare uniform, Jackie made her way down the stairs, smiling as she heard the sound of laughter coming from the kitchen. That, along with the whiff of fresh brewed coffee and the tantalizing sound of bacon sizzling, caused the Air Force major’s stomach to rumble.

“Come on and grab a seat, dear.” Kitty smiled, “You’re just in time for breakfast.”

“Thank you.” Jackie replied as she took Laurie’s old seat. Smiling appreciatively as Kitty set a plate of scrambled eggs, bacon, and toast down in front of her, Jackie took a sip of fresh poured coffee. “That tastes great, Kitty.”

“My pleasure.” Kitty smiled back as she sat down opposite her guest. “So, Major...what are your plans for today.”

“Well...” Jackie sighed, “I thought I’d go down to the rental car agency if I could ask you or your son for lift, drop my dirty uniform off at the dry cleaner and then hit the mall. I still need to pick up a few things to wear.”

“I wish I could help...” Eric replied, his mouth still full of food, “But the Vista Cruiser’s broken down.”

“Dumbass forgot to check the belts.” Red grumbled. “Now I’ve got to replace the alternator.”

Remembering happy times spent working on the Vista Cruiser with the gruff Forman patriarch, Jackie smiled, “I can help you with that when I get back from my errands if you want.”

“You know your way around a car engine?” Red inquired with a raised eyebrow.

“Sure do.” Jackie smiled back. “An old friend of mine taught me everything I knew when I was a teenager.”

“So...” Kitty, seeing an opportunity to get to know her guest a little better inquired, “What was this friend of yours like?”

“Well...” Jackie smiled warmly, “Friend’s probably not the right word—he was a lot older than me. I guess I’d say he was more like a second father.” She said as she glanced at Red. “He was always there when I needed him.”

“Sounds like a good man.” Red remarked.

“He was.” Jackie replied, looking straight into Red’s eyes before quickly glancing away, “The best.”

“What happened to him?” Eric asked.

Sighing, Jackie looked down at her half empty coffee cup. “I...”

“That’s all right.” Red gently interrupted, “We understand. We’ll get to work on the car when you get back.”

“Guess that means I’ll be taking you and Donna to school.” Kitty remarked as she turned to Eric before addressing the major, “Why don’t you come with us. After we drop the kids off, I can take you by the car agency on my way to work.”

“Thanks, Kitty.” Jackie smiled back. “If you’d like, I can swing by the school and pick Eric and Donna up for you—save you the trip and get back in plenty of time to help out Mr. Forman.”

“Oh...I couldn’t ask you to do that!” Kitty demurred.

“It’s no problem.” Jackie exclaimed, “I insist—it’s the least I can do to pay you back for all your kindness.”

“All right, then.” Kitty smiled back. “The kids get out at two o’clock.” Don’t let them con you into taking them to the Hub. They’re to head straight home and hit the books.”

“Right.” Jackie replied, “No playing around. Two at the school and then straight home.”

Nodding his head, Red addressed his son, “You got that, boy?”

“Yes, sir.” Eric mumbled as he finished the last of his orange juice.

“Good. Now finish your breakfast and get ready.”

“I need to finish getting ready myself.” Jackie smiled. “I’ll be down in a few minutes. Oh…” She asked as an afterthought, “Would it be all right if Jeff came over this weekend? We were planning on watching the Air Force-Army game…”

“You’ve got a bet on it—don’t you?” Red grinned, a slight chuckle escaping the gruff older man.

“Yeah.” Jackie admitted, nodding her head as a slight blush appeared on her face, “Dinner at the Vineyard. You interested in making a bet too?” She teased good-naturedly

“Nah. I don’t have a dog in this fight.” Red responded with a chuckle, “Tell you what though…when Navy plays Air Force I’ll take you up on that.” 

“You’re on.” Jackie laughed.

“Great.” Red exclaimed, “I’ll make sure we’ve got plenty of beer and chips.”

While finishing up the last of the dishes, Kitty noticed Donna carrying out the garbage from the kitchen window. Hurrying to the glass doors and after looking about to make sure no one was watching, the Forman mother called out in a stage whisper and waved, “Donna! Over here. Hurry! Before someone sees us.”

“What is it?” A breathless Donna asked as she jogged over to the Forman mother. 

“Here. Take a look at this.” Kitty urged as she pressed the birthday card she had lifted last night into Donna’s hands. “Tell me whose that handwriting reminds you of?”

Opening the card, Donna read aloud, “To Cassie, Happy Birthday from your Aunt Jackie. So...” Donna asked as she cocked her head to the left.

“Look at the handwriting!” Kitty urged.

Looking at the writing on the card again, Donna gasped, “That’s just like...”

“Just like our Jackie’s writing.” Kitty finished as Donna looked at the back of the card and spotted what appeared to be a copyright date.

“No way!” The redheaded teenager exclaimed. “That’s gotta be a misprint!”

“What?” Kitty asked as she grabbed the card from the younger woman’s hands.

“Look at the back of the card, Mrs. Foreman. The copyright year.”

Doing as the teenager instructed, Kitty gasped, “Two thousand and... No! That can’t be right!”

“But what if it is?” The otherwise levelheaded Donna speculated. “Remember when I joked about her being a future Jackie? What if somehow she is? I know it sounds silly—hell—I think it sounds silly, but—I don’t know...Her and Jackie’s reaction when they touched each other...what our Jackie told me about what she dreamed about...Kelso’s weird story...”

“What about Jackie’s dream and Kelso’s story?” Kitty asked.

“They were almost identical.” Donna replied, “And there’s no way her and Kelso could have gotten together to make it up—not that story!”

“Well...” Kitty declared as she slipped the card back in her apron. I don’t know about her coming from the future, but I think I’ve got a way to find out who she is.”

“How?” Donna inquired.

“I’ve got a friend at the DMV who owes me a favor.” Kitty replied, “He’s not working today, so I’m going to have to wait until after the weekend. All I need to get is something with her fingerprints on it and he can run them through their files.”

“There might not be anything if she doesn’t have a driver’s license here.” Donna pointed.

“I know.” Kitty responded, “But what have we got to lose?”

“Nothing, I guess.” Donna replied. Just then, she heard the sound of people talking. “They’re coming now.”

“Sssshhh.” Kitty held her finger to her lips. “Don’t even tell Eric about this. I don’t want to say anything until we’re sure.”

“You got a deal Mrs. Forman.” Donna replied and then remarked, when she saw Eric, Red, and Major Burkhart walking out on to the driveway, “What was that you were saying, Mrs. Forman? I didn’t quite catch it.”

Quickly understanding what the redhead wanted her to do, Kitty replied, “Because Eric’s car’s broken, I’m going to be dropping you and him off at school today and then taking the major over to the car rental place before going on to work. Major Burkhart volunteered to pick you up after school, so you and Eric need to be ready when she gets there.”

“Yes, Ma’am.” Donna replied respectfully. “I just need to go in and get my books and say goodbye to Mom and Dad and I’ll be right out.”

“Ok, Donna. Hurry up. Eric...” Kitty commanded, “It’s time to go.”

“You heard your mother.” Red scowled as he turned his attention to his son and pointed towards the Toyota, “Move it!”

“You ready, Major?” Kitty asked.

“Ready when you are.” Jackie replied as she got in the front seat while Eric and Donna occupied the back.

Kitty whispered to Red as she kissed him goodbye. “You try to have a good day and don’t give Bob too hard a time.”

“Don’t worry about me, Kitty.” Red replied with a grin. “See you later.”

As Kitty pulled out of the driveway, she briefly caught the major sitting beside her in her peripheral vision. _Whoever you are, Missy, I intend to find out_. Kitty thought to herself as she drove the little Toyota and its passengers down the road.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm kind of playing fast and loose with the episode order here with this story set roughly around the time of "Laurie Moves Out"


	4. Regrets?  I've Had a Few

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _This story was supposed to be a revision of a story I have on another site, but as I revised my old work, I kept asking myself several questions--the most important of which being, how did Jackie evolve from being a selfish and self-absorbed teenager into being a leader, team player, and Air Force officer. Granted, Doolie Summer (the incoming Air Force Academy freshman summer) will either turn the new Doolie into a team player and future leader or that person will end up leaving the Academy. Her final breakup from Hyde played a part in Jackie's change, but her make or break moment, as we'll see in a later flashback, was her Doolie Summer--in those few weeks she'll be tested like she never had been tested before. For those looking for more Stargate, don't worry, it's a-comin' we see a bit of foreshadowing in this part. To be honest, right now, I'm enjoying delving into how everyone evolves and changes through the 80s and 90s--and yes, there will be at least one tragedy. Thanks to everyone for reading and a special thanks to those who left kudos--it is greatly appreciated._

As Jackie pulled into the visitor’s lot of the old Point Place High School, her heart skipped a beat. Quickly taking out her I Phone, she glimpsed at the time before immediately putting it back into her purse. Noticing that she had plenty of time to spare, Jackie decided that, after checking in with the administration office, she’d pay Jeff a visit and maybe take a tour of the old high school. 

“Hello.” Jackie smiled as she approached the counter in the principal’s office. “I’m Major Jacqueline Burkhart...”

The receptionist behind the counter looked up and, seeing the major, remarked, “That’s funny...we have a student with that exact same name. You related?”

“Cousins.” Jackie replied, repeating her cover story. “I took some leave so that I could spend some time with her before reporting to my duty station. I’m also here as a favor to Kitty Forman. I’m to pick up Eric and Donna Pinciotti when they get out of school.”

“Jackie’s absent today I’m afraid...” The receptionist replied with a frown. “Her mother called and said that she wasn’t feeling good.”

“I see.” The major sighed, “Well…I’ll pop on over and see her later on today.” She then asked, “What about Eric and Donna?”

Shaking her head, the receptionist replied sympathetically, “It seems they got into trouble with Mrs. Olsen, their English teacher, and she’s given them a half hour’s detention.”

“Oh...” Jackie drawled, recalling how big a grouch the English teacher was as she tried to keep from laughing. “I take it you contacted their parents?”

“Yes, we got hold of Mr. Forman.” The receptionist answered back with an evil grin on her face, “I wouldn’t want to be Eric when he gets home.”

“Yeah.” Jackie chuckled, “I think he’s going to get a new body part growing out of his butt tonight. Anyway…would it be all right for me to go on to the JROTC office and hang out there while I wait? The lieutenant colonel invited me.”

“Not a problem.” The receptionist assured, “Just sign in here and you’ll be on your way.”

“Thanks.” Jackie replied with a wide grin as she signed her name to the ledger after showing her ID. “Have a good day.”

As she walked down through the breezeways and corridors, Jackie smiled warmly as the students dashed to their classes, walking, talking and laughing with each other. Near a set of lockers, she spotted Kelso, Hyde, Eric, Donna, and Fez hanging out. Pausing for a moment, seemingly to get her bearings, she overheard their conversation.

“I can’t believe we got detention!” Eric whined, “My dad is going to kill me!”

“Yeah.” Hyde smirked, “I bet he’s polishing the shoe he’s going to bury in your ass right now.”

“Thanks, Hyde.” Eric sarcastically responded. “Maybe I should draw a bullseye on the seat of my pants to make it easier for him.”

“Nah…you don’t have to do that.” Kelso joked, “His foot’s been there so much it’s got a room there.”

“Burn!” Fez exclaimed as the others joined in the laughter.

“What gets me is that all I did was disagree with her on the novel she assigned and you just backed me up.” Donna shook head in disbelief.

“That Mrs. Olsen is a witch.” Fez declared.

“Yeah.” Kelso agreed as his lips turned up in an evil grin, “We ought to do something to her.”

“Flaming dog poop in a bag is always a good one.” Hyde suggested.

“Works for me.” Donna and Eric agreed, responding in unison.

“I’ll let Jackie know when I get home.” Kelso announced only to be warned off by Donna.

“That’s probably not a good idea right now, Michael.” Donna cautioned, “She’s still feeling pretty messed up by that stuff she imagined.”

“Yeah…that was weird shit.” Hyde agreed, joking, “Maybe she’s finally lost it.”

“Shut up, Hyde!” Donna replied, punching the burnout on the shoulder.

_Yeah, Steven…shut up_. Major Burkhart thought to herself as she overheard the teens’ conversation and then reflected, _I really do need to check up on my younger self_. Jackie determined as she decided that she had heard enough and resumed her tour of her old high school, smiling warmly as she paused at the trophy case to look at the awards and photos there. At once recognizing a trophy for the second place showing in the 1976 district cheerleading competition, she thought to herself, _We’d have won it if Jenny Driscoll hadn’t slipped. That shouldn’t have happened_. She tapped her chin with her index finger, _She was always good on her feet…for her to just slip like that. At the time, like the rest of the girls, I blamed her for being clumsy and…well…I wish I could take back what I said and did…but now…I’m not so sure it was her fault. Something just doesn’t add up_. Staring at the trophy, Jackie replayed the events of that time in her mind.

***************************************************************************************************

_Point Place High, 1976_

“When I found out what Moose did to that foreign exchange student I threw his class ring back in his face and told him we’re through.” Jenny Driscoll growled to her friend as the pair stood next to each other at the door, waiting for the announcement from the speakers that it was their team’s turn to perform for the competition. “I mean…yeah…that boy is weird…the way he looks at me…especially at my chest…is creepy…but that’s no reason to give him a swirly.” 

“Yeah…I met him yesterday. He was hanging out at the Hub with Michael and the others. You’re right, I don’t think he’s dangerous.” Jackie replied, “He’s more annoying than anything else. Michael and Hyde pulled him off a clothes hook in the closet a few days ago and yesterday they chased away a couple of bullies who were playing keep away with his gym clothes.” She then asked in shock, “Did Moose really give him a swirly?”

“Yeah.” Jenny nodded her head, “Him and the two goons he hangs out—Clint and Josh. They were bragging about it before lunch. They caught him alone in the bathroom. I know they wouldn’t have done it if your boyfriend or that Hyde guy were there.”

“Figures.” Jackie let out a breath of air. “They’re too chicken to try it in front of someone who might kick their butts. But, why did they do it? Fez is harmless. What did he do, come on to one of their girlfriends?”

“Fez? Is that his name?”

“That’s what we’re calling him.” Jackie replied. “I don’t think anyone can pronounce his real name. Besides…his name’s not important…what did he do?”

“Nothing that I know of.” Jenny shook her head, “I think Moose just has it in for him. He’s been bullying him since he arrived here.”

“So…how are things going otherwise?” Jackie asked, changing the subject. 

“Moose and his gang showed up along with Cherise at lunch. He tried to make up with me, but I told him to take a flying you know what.” Tensing up, Jenny cursed, “Shit! “I gotta go pee!”

“Again?” Jackie exclaimed, “That’s the third time in the hour—you sure you’re okay?”

“Yeah…I’m fine.” Jenny responded, “Just gotta go—Now!”

After a few minutes, a relieved Jenny returned just as the speaker crackled to life.

“And now…the final team competing in the district finals, our very own Point Place High Viking cheerleaders! Let’s hear it for the girls!” The announcer’s voice blared from the speakers as the cheerleaders dashed on to the basketball court, waving their pom-poms as they ran.

The routine went flawlessly until it was time for the final flourish—a Leapin’ Lora in which Barbara would be the flyer while Jenny acted as base. However, just as Barbara was launched into the air by Kat who was acting as the backspotter, Jenny began to feel woozy as everything started spinning around her. As Jenny collapsed in a heap on the wooden court, Barbara landed on top of her. As the groans and moans of the shocked and disappointed fans filled the arena, Cherise, the head cheerleader at the time, now wearing Moose’s class ring, looked down on Jenny still sprawled on the floor and sneered.

“Loser. You’re off the team.”

“But…” Jenny sobbed as she felt her underpants get wet as urine trickled down her leg, puddling on the floor.

“Ewwww! Jenny’s peeing herself!” One of the cheerleaders grimaced as the others either laughed or turned away.

“You coming with us or staying with this loser?” Cherise demanded, her eyes staring into the younger girl’s.

“Jackie?” Jenny cried out plaintively to someone she had always thought of as her best friend only to have her cries fall on deaf ears as the dark-haired teenager, who had chosen popularity over friendship, turned her head and walked away.

*********************************************************************

_Point Place, 1977_

_Not my finest hour_. Jackie thought to herself as she stared at the trophy. _Jenny was never the same after that. She totally shut herself off from everyone—not that I or the others helped any. We wouldn’t talk to her and we’d ignore her when she did try to talk to us. Then…one day she just disappeared_.

“I hate that trophy.”

Turning about, Jackie found herself face to face with Jenny, no longer wearing her cheerleader uniform, but instead wearing tattered jeans and a t-shirt. “I ruined it for everyone.”

_No, you didn’t Jenny. I was the one who ruined it. You were my friend. I should have had your back_. Jackie recalled as she remembered how she and the other cheerleaders had dumped on the young girl, driving her away from the team in tears. _Maybe I can do a little something to make it up now_. Inspiration striking, Jackie decided, _Why not? There’s a lot about the next few days or so I don’t remember and Jenny did disappear at about this time. Maybe helping her now might keep her from disappearing_. Thinking that Jenny might be more inclined to talk to a stranger than to a friend who had betrayed her, Jackie asked, “What happened?”

Staring at the Air Force officer standing beside her, Jenny remarked, shaking her head in disbelief, “You look so much like someone I thought was a friend of mine until she wasn’t. On hearing those words, Jackie lowered her head in shame. You’ve even got her name—Burkhart. Are you related?”

Replying in a soft voice, Jackie answered the question. “I’m a distant cousin, but…if you want to talk to someone…”

Closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, the young girl responded, “Yeah…I think I’d like that. Not like anyone else is lining up to talk to me or…” She grimaced, “Not like I want to talk to any of the phonies here.”

“Okay…” Jackie replied, her lips turning up in a slight smile, “Why don’t we go to the cafeteria, I’ll buy you lunch.”

“Thanks.”

As she listened to Jenny’s account of the incident and what happened afterwards, Jackie again felt embarrassment at her actions at the time. Her friend needed her and she wasn’t there. What made it worse was that this was not the first time she dumped a friend for popularity…nor would it be the last.

“You must think I’m a total screwup.” Jenny sobbed, 

“Not at all.” A more mature Jackie responded as she handed the crying young teenager a tissue. _I was the screwup_. Her suspicions raised as she heard her ex-friend’s account of what happened, Jackie asked, “I don’t want to be rude, but did you always have a problem with having to go to the bathroom?” 

“No.” Jenny replied, shaking her head as she recalled the events of that day. “It was a little bit after lunch that day. I was here…in the cafeteria…with Bethany and your cousin…over there…” she pointed to a table where a group of cheerleaders sat laughing and flirting with football players, “…at the cheerleaders’ table. Then Moose and his pals, along with Cherise, joined us. That’s when Moose tried to get back together with me, but I told him to get lost. And then he ‘accidentally’ spilled my drink all over me. Jackie and Bethany helped me to get cleaned up and Cherise went to get me another glass. Then, about an hour later, I had to go to the bathroom…bad. I kept on needing to go all the way until just before we went on and then, during our performance, I started feeling dizzy and well…” Her face turned red with embarrassment. “I’m sorry…I shouldn’t be laying this on you…it’s just that…no one here will talk to me now. All my old ‘friends’ have ditched me. I can’t even get a date for the homecoming dance.”

“Well…you’ve got one friend right here.” Jackie, seizing the chance for redemption, said as she scribbled her cell number on a piece of paper. “You need someone to talk to…just call this number. If you get my…answering machine…leave a message and I promise I’ll get back to you. I’m also staying at the Formans, so you can call and leave them a message too.”

“Thanks.” Jenny replied with a slight smile as she took the piece of paper with the number. Standing up, she picked up her tray, “I better go or I’ll be late for my next class. Thanks again, Ma’am.”

“Just call me Jackie.” The dark haired officer responded, “Take it easy and remember…if you need anything…even if it’s just a shoulder to cry on, call me.”

As Jenny walked away, Jackie reviewed everything that she had just heard in her mind, cross-referencing it with her memories. “Could Cherise have drugged Jenny? She had the opportunity and the motive…she never liked Jenny. And…Cherise’s father was the town pharmacist. Dammit! How could I have been so stupid! The bitch slipped Jenny a diuretic while Moose and his pals distracted us.” Getting up, Jackie picked up her tray and hat. “Now what to do to make things right?” A slight smile crossing her lips, she decided, “I think I know what to do.”

 

Rising to his feet from behind the desk, Sergeant Phipps greeted the newcomer, “Afternoon, Major.”

“Afternoon, Master Sergeant.” Jackie grinned, “As you were. Is Colonel Edwards available.”

“Yes, Ma’am.” The master sergeant replied with a smile as he gestured towards a closed door. “Just knock on the door.”

“Thank you.”

Jackie was warmly greeted by Jeff after entering his office. “Good Afternoon, Major. Please…have a seat. I’ll get you a cup of coffee. How do take it?”

“Cream please.” Jackie responded with a smile as she sat down in one of the chairs in front of the colonel’s desk.’

“Here you go.” Jeff smiled as he handed Jackie her cup and then took his seat. “So…how’s your day been?”

“Interesting.” Jackie responded, “Looks like I’m going to have to stick around a bit before I can go home. The kids I promised to pick up got detention.”

“Their loss…my gain.” A smile appeared on Jeff’s face, “By the way…do you have a date for the homecoming dance? I’ve been drafted as a chaperone.”

“You asking?” Jackie’s lips turned up in a coy smile.

“Yes.” Jeff responded, the shy grin still on his face.

“Then the answer is yes. I’d love to.” Jackie replied, with a flirtatious wink. The pair spent most of the rest of the afternoon talking until, her coffee finished, Jackie glanced up at the clock and rose to her feet, “Oops! I better get going now if I’m going to pick up Eric and Donna when they get out of detention. See you tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow.”

 

While the older Jackie was talking to the attractive colonel in his office, another meeting was taking place in the equipment room of the gym. “That was FANTASTIC!” Michael Kelso gloated as he looked up at Pam Macy who was at that moment putting her top back on.

“You enjoyed that, didn’t you.” Pam leered back.

“Hell yeah!” Michael exclaimed, his expression resembling, more than anything else, that of a puppy anxious for its treat.

“Want to do it again, don’t you?” Pam teased as she fixed her skirt.

“Uh...yeah!” Kelso replied

“I’ll call you...” Pam teased, caressing the boy’s cheek as she strutted out of the room. “Maybe.”

Watching as the blonde girl walked away, Kelso let out a low whistle. “Man...”

Exiting the equipment room, Pam Macy’s eyes flashed an amber hue as her lips turned up into an evil grin. _Soon_. Eris, the Goau’ld who had taken over the unfortunate teenager’s body thought to herself. _Soon chaos and discord shall rule_.

**************************************************************************************

“Thanks for the ride, Major.” Donna exclaimed as she and Eric exited the rented Ford Granada.

“Not a problem.” Jackie responded as she waved at Eric and Donna’s father, “Hi, Red…Bob! We’re back. Give me a moment to get into some work clothes and I’ll be out to help you, Red!”

“Okay, Jackie!” Red responded and then, glaring at his son, commanded, “Get your ass in the house and hit the books—now!”

“You too, Donna. I want your nose in a book.” Bob commanded.

“Yes, Dad.” Both teenagers responded as they entered the Forman house.

After changing into work jeans and t-shirt and sneakers, Jackie walked down the stairs to see Donna and Eric going at it on the couch. Clearing her throat as she rolled her eyes, she quipped in an amused voice, “I don’t care if you two decide to have a make-out session instead of studying, but better not let Red see you or it’s foot in the ass time.”

“Oops!” Eric started as he jumped off Donna and resumed his seat on the sofa.

“Sorry about that.” Donna blushed as she also sat upright in the chair and picked up her notebook.

“No, you’re not. You’re just sorry you got caught.” Jackie chuckled as she raised her eyebrow in a familiar gesture that once again caught Donna’s attention. “I’ll try to give you warning if Red comes back in, but no promises.”

“Thanks, Major.” Donna replied with a shy grin.

“Yeah, thanks.” Eric chimed in as he ran his fingers through his hair.

Waiting until the major had safely exited the house through the sliding glass kitchen doors, Donna turned to her boyfriend and whispered in a low voice, “Now tell me you didn’t think that was weird.”

“What?” Eric exclaimed with a confused look on his face.

“The way she raised her eyebrow.” Donna explained, “Who does that remind you of?”

“I don’t know…who?” A still mystified Eric responded.

Shaking her head and exhaling in frustration at her boyfriend’s cluelessness, Donna again tried to explain, “Our Jackie does the exact same thing. Last night, when we talked on the car, the major was kicking her feet just like Jackie does and she gave me that look Jackie gives when she’s absolutely sure about something and thinks whoever she’s talking to is dense because they’re not picking up on it.”

Laughing, Eric jibed, “What are you trying to say? That they’re same person or something? You do know how silly that sounds—don’t you?”

“Yeah.” Donna replied with a nervous laugh as she remembered the birthday card that Kitty showed her with the twenty-first century copyright date. “I guess it is silly.” Shaking her head, she quipped, “I’ve been smoking way too much of Hyde’s stash.”

Chuckling, Eric responded as he gave his girlfriend a quick hug, “Yeah…I guess we both have. C’mon…we better get some work done. I don’t want Red’s foot up my ass.”

 

“Hey, Red!” Jackie called out as she approached the Forman patriarch already working under the hood of the Vista Cruiser. “Where do you want me to start?”

“Over here.” Red answered back, “Grab yourself some tools. I’m gonna need your help getting the alternator off.”

“On it.” Jackie replied as she assisted Red in removing the alternator and then replacing it.

“Good job.” Red grinned, “Now, let’s get the belts.”

“Right.” Jackie smiled back at the older man as she started tightening the belts. “I forgot how much fun this is.” 

“Whoever taught you did a good job.” Red remarked approvingly as the pair continued their task of fixing and tuning up the old car.

“He sure did.” Her lips turned up in a fond and yet also winsome smile. “I don’t think I’d have been able to get through my teen years or do what I’ve done since without his help.”

“He sounds like a good man.” Red remarked, further inquiring, “Was he the one you were telling us about earlier?”

“Yeah.” Jackie responded, agreeing, “He was the best. My parents…” she found herself confessing to the older man, even though she knew deep down that she shouldn’t be talking about this, “…well…let’s just say that my parents weren’t exactly winners. Him and his wife were like a second set of parents to me.” She recalled, her voice cracking slightly, “They gave me the love and yeah…the discipline…I needed when my real parents wouldn’t or couldn’t. I remember one time when he and his wife gave me the ass-kicking I needed most when I needed it most and then followed it up with encouragement…when no one else would do it. If they hadn’t of done that, I don’t think I’d be wearing my uniform or be here now.” As she told Red a carefully edited version of the story, she recalled in her mind the entire event.

*******************************************************************************************

_The Full Version: The Forman House,1979_

“You’re still moping?” Red growled as he noticed a depressed Jackie walking with her head down towards Donna’s house. “How long has it been since you and Steven broken up? A month? Two?”

“You wouldn’t understand, Mr. Forman!” Jackie cried out with tears running down her cheeks, “I loved him! I put everything I had into our relationship and he didn’t even give me a chance to explain…”

“Well…explain it to me, then.” retorted Red as he pointed to the garage and pulled out a chair for the distraught young teen to sit.

“You heard about what happened.” Jackie sniffed as she wiped the tears from her eyes before sitting down.

“I heard Kelso’s version which is probably nothing like what really happened.” Red replied, “The moron said that the two of you had gotten together again and were about to…you know…when Steven came in and saw you in bed and him buck naked. Now…” Red commanded as he sat down on the other chair facing Jackie, “You tell me what actually went on.”

“Michael’s full of horseshit.” Jackie sneered, ignoring Red’s raised eyebrow at the profanity. “I didn’t want to get back together with him and I most definitely didn’t want to sleep with him! I was feeling homesick.” She confessed through her tears, “And I couldn’t get anyone else on the phone, so I called him and asked him to come over to where I was staying and keep me company. I just wanted a familiar face to talk to—that’s all!”

“And dummy read more into it than what you intended.” Red snorted, “Figures. Dumbass. And when Steven blew in…”

“He assumed the worst.” Jackie sniffed, nodding her head. “He punched Kelso…hard…and ran out. I ran after him and tried to get him to stop…I begged him to give me a chance to explain…but he…”

“Took off and left you.” Red nodded his head, “And came back with that stripper that he had a quickie Vegas marriage with. Dumbass. He forgot what happens when you assume.”

“Huh?” Jackie exclaimed.

His lips turning up in a sad smile, Red explained, “When you assume, you make an ass out of you and me.”

The smallest of laughs escaped Jackie’s lips as her second father’s little joke had its intended effect.

“I think I understand now.” Red declared as he stood up. Opening the garage, he directed, “Come here, Jackie. I want to show you something. Something horrible. Something that should scare the living crap out of you.” As Jackie got up from her seat and joined the older man, he pointed to where his son, Kelso, Hyde, and Fez were standing. Michael was getting ready to do something incredibly stupid with a bottle rocket as Hyde and Fez egged him on while Eric, not having shaved for three days and appearing unkempt and sloppy looked on with a bored expression on his face. 

“See those four idiots?” Red pointed with a sneer, “Eighteen years old and graduated high school and where are they? When they’re not all camped out on my damned driveway, they’re goofing off in my basement! Exactly where they were four years ago! Hyde’s sister’s running that record store. He just shows up there when he feels like it and goofs off. And there’s Kelso about to launch that rocket and it’s going to end up blowing up in his face…or up his ass…I don’t give a damned where and this time I’m not stopping him!” Red shook his head. “And as for the foreign kid…at least he’s working. Which is more than I can say about my good-for-nothing son. Look at him…” Red grunted, “Look at all of them! Do you really want to end up like them?”

“No.” Jackie replied in a soft voice, shaking her head as they all heard the sound of jets in the air. Looking up, a smile suddenly appeared on the young woman’s face as she recognized the planes, “F-16s.” She said in a voice filled with excitement.

“You know what they are?” A surprised Red exclaimed, “That’s the first time I’ve seen those planes.”

“They’re new.” Jackie explained, “I read about them in a magazine. They just went into service last year.”

“So…” Red remarked with a smile on his face, “You like jets? Have you thought about the Air Force or the Navy?” He prompted, seeing an opening. “I have to admit to being partial to the Navy myself, but there’s nothing wrong with the Air Force.”

A blush appearing on her face, Jackie confessed in a whisper, “You’ve got to promise not to tell anyone else this, Mr. Forman…”

“I promise.” Red replied sincerely.

“It’s been in the back of my mind for several years now. Ever since I saw a painting in the Hub of a pair of jets flying through the clouds. I thought they looked so pretty and free…I want so much to be up there…” looking up, she pointed at the jets rapidly fading from view, “…flying free. I didn’t want to tell anyone because…well…you know how they’d react.”

“Screw them! They’re all dumbasses! Do it.” Red urged. “Get away from this town before you end up like those boys or like Donna…stuck in neutral waiting for my boy to get his act together. Make a life for yourself. You want to fly—fly!”

Her eyes now steeled with determination, Jackie declared in a crisp voice, “I will. And I know exactly how I’m going to do it.”

“How?” Red asked, curious in spite of himself.

A ghost of a smile crossing her features, the young woman demurred, “It’s something I’ve been planning for a while…ever since I learned that they were going to do it. But…” She sighed, “It’s going to take a lot of hard work and…I’m going to have to do a lot of growing up really fast. I’m not sure I’ll be able to do it.”

“Bullshit!” Red exclaimed, “You’re Jackie Burkhart! You can do anything you set your mind to. The worst thing you can do is not even try. If you don’t even make the attempt…” He cautioned, pointing again at the boys, “You’ll be standing with those morons! Is that where you want to be? Or do you want to be up in the clouds in the cockpit of one of those new-fangled jets? Your life. Your choice.” Red encouraged.

“You’re right, Mr. Forman.” Jackie nodded her head, her resolve mounting. “I’m going to do it. Wish me luck.” She smiled as she reached out for a hug.

“All the luck in the world, kitten.” Red responded, returning his second daughter’s hug. “Now…” He smirked, pointing at the house, “Get your ass over to Kitty and tell her the same thing you just told me. She's been worried sick about you.”

*******************************************************************************

“Have a good talk with Red?” Kitty asked as she pointed to a chair at the kitchen table. “I just took this apple pie out of the oven. Wanna join me for a piece?”

Nodding her head at the politely phrased command, Jackie responded as she took her seat, “Thanks, Mrs. Forman.”

“Here you go.” Kitty grinned as she cut a slice of pie, and, after placing it on a saucer, handed it to the teenage girl along with a glass of milk. Setting down at the table next to the girl, the Forman mother gently inquired, “So…how are you feeling?”

“Better.” Jackie replied with a sigh. “Mr. Forman helped me get some things straight.”

“He has a way of doing that.” Kitty laughed. Shaking her head, the older woman remarked, “You know…I was pulling for you and Steven—even though I didn’t think it would work.”

“Why not?” Jackie asked.

“The problem, sweetie…” Kitty explained, “…was that the two of you were too different in the things you needed to be alike and too much alike in the things you needed to be different.”

“I’m confused, Mrs. Forman.” Jackie shook her head, “What do you mean?”

“Do you want to know what the secret is to me and Red getting along so well with each other all these years?” Kitty whispered conspiratorially.

“Yeah.” Jackie nodded her head.

“We’re different where we’re supposed to be different and alike where we need to be alike.” Kitty further explained, “Like our tempers. You might have noticed Red gets angry real quick…feet in asses and all…”

“Yeah…I kinda noticed that.” Jackie laughed.

“Have you ever seen him actually hit or hurt someone?” Kitty queried.

“No.” Jackie shook her head, “Now that I think about it. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him hit Eric or anyone else.”

“He never has.” Kitty declared.

“You mean it’s all an act?” Jackie exclaimed in surprise.

“Oh, no!” Kitty responded with a laugh, “He’s really angry when he threatens to put his foot up someone’s ass, but because he scares the crap out of whoever he’s threatening, he’s never had to follow through on it.” She further elaborated, “Then…five minutes or so later, once he’s calmed down, I can step in and smooth things out.” After taking a bite from her pie and washing it down with some milk, she continued, “Now, it takes a lot more to get me angry, but when I do get mad, I stay angry and I keep grudges—like with Mama Forman. I never did forgive her for the way she treated me. When I get upset or depressed, Red knows to smile, be nice, and stay out of my way until I get it out of my system and then he’ll do something nice for me to take my mind off of whatever or whoever it is that got me angry in the first place. You see…” Kitty concluded, “We’re enough alike where we can work and live together and enough different to keep things interesting and where the strengths of one of us can make up for the weaknesses of the other.”

“And me and Steven didn’t have that going for us.” Jackie confessed morosely. “We’re both too proud and stubborn to admit we’re wrong about anything and too selfish to help each other when we needed it.”

“You two aren’t as selfish as you’d think.” Kitty consoled, “I’ve seen both of you do things for other people without expecting anything in return when you think no one will notice.”

“Yeah.” Jackie laughed, “We’ve got images to keep up. But…” She shook her head, “When it came to us…we were never really there for each other.”

“Right.” Kitty nodded her head in agreement, “But yes, you two are both very proud and stubborn and don’t like admitting it when you’re wrong.”

“And there’s other stuff.” Jackie sighed, “I wanted to be sure we had a future…”

“Nothing wrong with that, darling.” Kitty interjected.

“But Steven lives in the moment.” Jackie concluded. “I can’t live that way. I need some certainty…a purpose…a direction for my life.” Shaking her head, Jackie moaned, “I know I’m not making any sense!”

“No dear…” Kitty consoled as she patted Jackie on her hand, “You’re making perfect sense.” Her lips turning up in a sad smile, she remarked, “You know I think of Steven as my second son and…” brushing away a tear, she forced herself to continue, “…since I rarely see my girl anymore, I think of you as being as much my daughter as Laurie…”

“Thank you, Mrs. Forman.” Jackie smiled through her tears.

“So…” Kitty smiled, “What direction is my little girl going to take with her life?”

“I know what I’m going to do.” Jackie decided, “I want to keep it secret for now, but when I’m ready, I’ll make sure you and Mr. Forman are the first to know.”

******************************************************************************************

 

_Forman Residence: 1977_

“And they were right.” Jackie declared as Red lowered the hood of the Vista Cruiser and the pair made their way to the garage sink to wash up. “For me to grow up, I had to leave that small town and make my own way. And I did.” She concluded proudly.

Nodding his head in approval, Red responded as the pair, now washed up, made their way back towards the house, “I’d say you did. I bet those second parents of yours are proud of you now.”

Glancing at first at Red and then at Kitty who was bustling about in the kitchen, a warm smile crossed Jackie’s features. “They are.”


	5. Objects in Motion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Major Burkhart confronts her past as Eris begins to marshal her forces.

_Forman House, 1977_

Deciding to check up on her younger self before settling down to watch Three’s Company, “And it’s not a rerun!” the major chuckled as she picked up the old phone in the kitchen. Sighing in relief as the teenage version of her answered the phone instead of her mother or father, the older Jackie spoke into the phone, “Ummm...hi Jackie. This is your cousin. How are you feeling?”

“Not too good. I’m still getting headaches.” The younger Jackie replied, her voice sounding slightly strained. “How about you?”

“A little better.” The major responded, “I....uh....talked with Donna and she told me...”

“So... what was all that?” Jackie interrupted, “Cause...it’s freaking me out!”

“I imagine it is.” Older Jackie said consolingly, “I wish there was something I could say or do...”

“You could tell me what’s going on!” Younger Jackie snapped. “I didn’t tell Donna everything that I saw.” She confessed as her anger subsided. “I saw other things.”

“What sort of things?” Older Jackie asked as a shudder ran down her back.

Taking a deep breath and then exhaling, the youthful cheerleader answered back, “A whole lot of things. Eric and Donna...but older...and with children. Kelso with a baby girl—but she wasn’t my child. Mr. and Mrs. Forman, also older—with grey hair. And...me and Steven. We were...we were...”

“I get the idea.” Older Jackie quickly interrupted.

“I need to know the truth. What’s happening to me!” The younger Jackie pleaded. “The visions! The voices! They’re driving me crazy!”

Sighing, Older Jackie came to a decision. “You’re right. You do need to know, and you have a right to know. But I’m not able to talk about it now. We need some privacy.” She said as her eyes focused on Red and Eric sitting in the living room.

“Yeah. I think I get the idea.” Younger Jackie replied, “My mom and dad are in the next room too.”

“Do they know about…” The major gently probed.

“No!” Jackie exclaimed, quickly muffling her voice. “If I told them all the stuff I saw, they’d send me to a…”

“I get the picture.” Older Jackie interrupted sympathetically. “Can you come to the Forman house soon? We can talk then.”

“Yeah.” Younger Jackie replied. “Mom and Dad are going to our cabin in the mountains this weekend and they said I could stay with Donna. I can come tomorrow, if that’s okay with you.”

“That’s perfect.” Older Jackie responded. “Jeff…Lieutenant Colonel Edwards…will be over to watch the Army-Air Force game with me and Red, but we can talk either before the game or after—whichever works out better for you.”

“Jeff?” Younger Jackie, momentarily distracted from her torment, chuckled, “I thought you guys had rules about…what do you call it…”

“Fraternization.” Older Jackie laughed, “Yeah…we do. I won’t bore you with all the legal mumbo-jumbo…but as long as we’re not in the same chain of command, we’re okay. Besides…” The major giggled, “He’s retired.”

“Oh…okay. I thought you all had to be monks or something like that.” Younger Jackie blurted out, much to the amusement of her older self. Feeling relaxed and relieved at discovering that someone was actually listening to her and paying attention to what she thought, younger Jackie began to feel, for the first time in a long time, safe enough to lower her guard. Pausing for a moment, the young girl lowered her voice, “I think Dad’s got something going with his new secretary. I overheard him talking on the phone with her yesterday. And Mom was eyeing one of the ski instructors the last time we were there. I think that’s why they didn’t want me coming along.” 

“I think I understand.” The older Jackie responded, feeling a twinge of sadness as she remembered how her parents always put their own selfish desires over her. _Kitty had to embarrass them in order to get them to come to my graduation from the Academy_. Jackie somberly recalled before again speaking with her younger self, putting as much encouragement as possible into her voice tone, “Tell you what…when you’re ready tomorrow, we’ll get together and have a long talk about everything and I’ll answer any questions you might have.”

“Thank you! That’s all I want!” Older Jackie could hear the relief in her younger self’s voice. “I’ve got to go now. Maria…our housekeeper…is coming. Thanks again!”

****************************************************************************************************************************************

Hanging up, Jackie didn’t even have a chance to get out of her chair as she heard the phone’s ringing. “I’ve got it, Red!” The major called out as she picked up the receiver she had just set down. “Hello. Forman residence.”

“Hello? This is Jenny Driscoll. Is Major Burkhart there?”

Taking in a breath as she heard the depressed voice of the girl she had turned her back on so long ago on the other end of the phone, Jackie replied in a gentle tone, “Speaking. What’s wrong, Jenny?”

“I just needed someone to talk to.” Jenny replied, her sobs coming through on the other end of the line.

“I’m here.” Jackie responded, “What do you want to talk about?”

“I still haven’t found a date for the homecoming dance and I don’t know what to do! I know I said I didn’t care what anyone else thought of me, but…”

“It still hurts.” Jackie finished, her tone now one of sympathy.

“I’m sure you’ve never had to go through anything like this.” Jenny snapped back.  
“Don’t be so sure of that.” Jackie replied as an old memory resurfaced. “My friends—including my boyfriend at the time—blew off my high school graduation party.” Jackie related, “I finally found them sitting around together getting drunk and high. They’d totally forgotten about me.” She then confessed, “I think that’s when I began to seriously think about going into the Air Force. It took another kick in the gut to get me to commit though.”

“That’s cold…blowing off your high school graduation like that.” Jenny replied and then Jackie heard a mild chuckle from the other end of the phone, “Maybe I should do something like that—run off and join the Army or the Navy or the Air Force or maybe the Foreign Legion.” 

“Well…before you run off to some recruiter, why don’t you come by the Forman house first.” Jackie proposed with a small laugh as she saw Fez headed to the living room to join Eric and Mr. Forman. “There’s someone I want you to meet.”

“Who?” Jenny asked, “I already know Eric and his friends. They mostly just ignore me. And…I don’t want to run into Jackie or her boyfriend.”

“I can promise you that you won’t run into my cousin.” Jackie responded, “She’s planning on coming over tomorrow. And as for her boyfriend…I think I heard Hyde and him talking about going to the water tower earlier as they were leaving. My guess is that they’re going to do something stupid that will end up with one or both of them falling off the tower.”

“You’re probably right.” Jenny said as Jackie heard genuine laughter coming from the other end of the phone. “All right. I’ll be right over.”

“Great. I’ll let the Formans know you’re coming.” Jackie replied with a chuckle, “You know how Mr. Forman likes surprises.”

“Yeah.” Jenny giggled, “I don’t want to fly back home from a kick in the butt.”

Turning towards the sliding glass doors as she hung up the phone, Jackie at once recognized Kitty, wearing her nurse’s uniform and hastily putting out a cigarette, entering. “Rough shift?” She asked as she fetched a couple of wine coolers from the refrigerator, handing one to the harried nurse.

“It’s that obvious?” Kitty asked as she took the offered wine cooler and, opening it, sat down at the table.

“Just a little.” Jackie chuckled as she joined her hostess at the table. “A friend of mine’s a doctor and she looks just like that when she’s had a tough day.”

Taking a gulp from her wine cooler, Kitty sighed, “We lost Mrs. Garrison today. She was the sweetest old lady.”

“What did she die of?” Jackie asked as she sipped her drink.

“Her memory had gone…the poor dear.” Kitty replied, “Her body just decided it was time to let go. Unfortunately, none of her family could make it over. They all live in Texas.”

“You mean no one was there when she passed? Jackie gasped in sympathy.

“No one but me, a couple of the other nurses and nurse’s assistants, and the attending physician.” Kitty somberly responded. “The family is paying for her to be transported back to Dallas for burial though. I guess that’s something.”

“It still sucks that no one could come up to be with her.” Jackie remarked with just a touch of bitterness.

“Well…” Kitty shook her head, “I guess they couldn’t get free or something.” No longer wanting to discuss Mrs. Garrison or her day at work, the overworked and overstressed nurse abruptly changed the subject, “So…who was it that you were talking to?”

“Oh…” Jackie, picking up on the older woman’s mood, quickly responded to the change of subject, “That was Jenny Driscoll…I ran into her yesterday while waiting on Eric and Donna.”

“Jenny Driscoll…” Kitty paused for several moments as she tried to place a name with a face, “Now where have I heard that name before. Oh yeah!” The older woman recalled, “She was the poor dear who had that accident at the cheerleader competition.”

“Yeah.” Jackie nodded, “Only…it might not have been an accident.”

“What do you mean?” Kitty inquired as she quickly looked up.

Describing Jenny’s symptoms from before the contest, Jackie asked, “What does that sound like to you?”

“If I didn’t know any better…” Kitty replied, “I’d say she’d been taking diuretics…a strong one from the description you gave.”

“That’s what I’m thinking too.” Jackie affirmed, “Only…she told me that she hadn’t taken any medications before the contest.”

“Are you sure she’s telling you the truth?” Kitty asked, “If she were taking pills to lose weight or something like that, she might not want to admit it.”

“She didn’t seem to be overly concerned about her weight or figure when I talked to her at the school.” Jackie countered, “And I also looked for signs that she might have been cutting herself…no scars or anything like that. Also…” She added, “She told me that her old boyfriend had spilled her drink and that the head cheerleader at the time volunteered to get her a new drink. Added to that…she told me that after she broke up with her boyfriend over him and his friends bullying Fez, he began to date the head cheerleader whose father happens to own the pharmacy.”

“Oh…” Kitty exclaimed, “So you think that the head cheerleader slipped a diuretic into your friend’s drink?”

“I think so.” Jackie nodded her head, “Only…there’s no way to prove it now. So…I kind of thought it wouldn’t hurt to build up her confidence a little.”

“Not a bad idea.” Kitty agreed, “How are you going to do that?”

“Well…” Jackie smiled as she outlined her plan, “She’s mentioned that she wants to go to the homecoming dance and doesn’t have a date.”

“So…you’re going to set her up with a date.” Kitty nodded her head, “Could be a good idea…or a bad one…it depends on who the date is.”

As Fez passed through the kitchen on his way to the living room, a slight smile crossed the major’s features as she tilted her head slightly at the brown-skinned young man.

“Fez?” Kitty whispered, “Are you sure about that, sweetie? I mean…he’s a nice enough boy and all…but…you know…he’s a little weird.”

“So I’ve heard.” Jackie whispered back, “But I have a feeling he’s harmless. I don’t think he’d do anything to hurt Jenny.”

“Oh! Heavens no!” Kitty readily agreed, “Fez wouldn’t hurt a fly! But…the poor dear seems to have problems where it comes to how to talk to a girl…”

“In other words…” Jackie chuckled, “…he comes on too strong.”

“That’s putting it mildly!” Kitty, after taking a drink from her wine cooler, nodded her head in emphatic agreement. “He might scare the poor girl.”

“What if I warn Jenny first and then leave the decision to her as to whether I should talk to Fez about the dance or not?” Jackie asked, seeking the older woman’s advice.

Nodding her head thoughtfully, Kitty responded in the affirmative, “That might work. It might not also hurt to have a talk with Fez if she’s agreeable to him asking her out—make sure he understands that she’s been through a lot and he needs to be careful.”

“Good idea.” Jackie agreed, adding with a knowing grin, “I get the feeling that he has a habit of saying and doing the wrong things at the wrong time.”

“You have no idea, sweetie!” Kitty laughed as she picked up the empty bottles. “Well…I’m gonna go upstairs and get out of this uniform and then take a bath. You let me know how things go, okay?”

“Sure thing, Kitty.” Jackie replied, and then, hearing the doorbell ring, called out, “Red? That’s probably for me. If it’s a girl named Jenny, just send her up to my room.”

“Sure thing, Jackie!” Red answered back as he opened the door to reveal a young teenage girl.

“Mr. Forman? I’m Jenny. I’m here to see Major Burkhart.”

“Come in, Jenny.” Red answered back in a gruff voice, “She’s upstairs. You can go on up.”

Eyeing the attractive blonde girl walking up the stairs, Fez whispered to Eric? “Who is that. She’s lovely.”

“That’s Jenny Dribble…” Eric whispered back with a chuckle.

“What are you talking about?” Fez gasped.

“You don’t remember?” Eric responded, “She’s the one who…”

“Can it, Eric!” Red snapped, “Don’t you two have something better to do—like be somewhere else other than my living room?”

Letting out a breath of air, Eric turned to his buddy, “Let’s go to the basement. I’ll tell you all about Jenny Dribble”

*************************************************************************************************************************************

“Come in!” Jackie called out as she heard the gentle knocking at her door. “Hey, Jenny! Have seat.” She invited as she patted the bed next to where she was sitting. “Let’s talk.” Once her guest had sat down, the major asked in an upbeat tone, “So…how’re you holding up?”

“I was feeling better until I heard Forman’s Jenny Dribble comment when I came in.” Jenny answered back with a frown.

“Eric can be such an ass sometimes.” Jackie muttered under her breath.

“Huh?” Jenny interjected.

“Oh…” Jackie chuckled, “I was just thinking that Eric doesn’t have much room to talk seeing that he used to be called Dr. Pee Pee.”

“Really?” Jenny laughed, “Where did you hear that from?”

“I think I heard it from my cousin once.” Jackie lied and then whispered conspiratorially, “If he ever gives you a hard time, just call him that and he’ll shut right up.”

“Thanks.” Jenny nodded her head, “I’ll remember that.”

“I was thinking…” Jackie delicately prompted, “Since you told me you were having trouble finding a date for the dance, I might be able to help…”

“How?” 

“Well…I know this boy…really just recently met him…” Jackie said, telling yet another white lie, “…and…while he might seem a little…ummm…weird…at first…he’s really a great guy. It’s just that he has a little trouble talking to women and has a bad tendency to say or do the wrong thing at the wrong time. He doesn’t mean anything bad by it…” She quickly clarified, “And he’s as gentle as a pussycat. It’s just that sometimes he’s a little stupid…”

“Sounds like you’re talking about either Kelso or that foreign kid.” Jenny laughed, “I know it can’t be Kelso because he’s going out with your cousin…so…wait…Fez?!”

“Don’t be so quick to rule him out.” Jackie pleaded. “From talking to some people…” She again spun out a half-truth, “…he’s a pretty nice guy. Yeah…I’ve heard he’s a little on the pushy side, but he knows what the word ‘no’ means and if you say no, he’ll listen and back off. So, don’t worry. Underneath all those hormones and weirdness, there’s a good guy who’s a gentleman. To be honest, of those boys who hang out in the Forman basement, he’s probably the sweetest. Definitely the nicest.”

“Hmmm…” Jenny considered the older woman’s words, “I know one girl who went out with him once and she told me that he was okay. And it is just one date and it’s at the school and there’ll be chaperones…”

“Including me and Lieutenant Colonel Edwards…” Jackie interrupted, “So, if for any reason you should feel uncomfortable, you can come to us.”

Feeling better about the idea of going out with the exchange student, Jenny nodded her head, “Okay…if he asks me out, I’ll go with him.”

“Great!” Jackie smiled, “I know you’re going to have a great time. So…” The older woman, hungry for some simple old-fashioned gossip, queried, changing the subject, “Who’s the hunkiest? Burt Reynolds or Clint Eastwood?”

***********************************************************************************************************************************************************************

After a couple of hours of just conversing, accompanied by much laughter, Jackie showed her friend to the door. “Thanks for inviting me over.” Jenny exclaimed, “It’s been so long since I’ve just talked and gossiped with someone fun to be with. Not since…” Her smile vanished to be replaced by a sad frown.

“Hey!” Jackie quickly interjected, “Fresh starts…remember? And as for my cousin…” She pleaded, “She made a mistake…a bad one. She doesn’t realize it now, but one day she will and I promise you, it’s going to tear her up. Please…don’t hate her. She’ll do that to herself…probably for years.”

“Part of me is glad she’s going to suffer.” Jenny responded bitterly, “But another part of me feels sorry for her. We were good friends and I thought that she was a good person beneath all that posing.”

“She is.” The older Jackie asserted, “It’s just that right now…at this time in her life…she’s so wrapped up in herself that she can’t see how she hurts other people and when she finally does see, it’ll be too late.”

“Maybe.” Jenny conceded and flashed a smile, “Thanks again and tell Fez he can go ahead and ask me out if he wants.”

As the door closed, Jackie turned around to see Kitty looking at her appraisingly. “You gave some good advice about your cousin for someone who doesn’t know her very well.” 

“I was a lot like her when I was younger.” Jackie replied, shading the truth only slightly. “And…I did do and say some things I wish I could take back.” 

“Makes you wish you could travel back in time, doesn’t it, Jackie?” Kitty answered back, “Undo the things you did wrong…”

Barely hiding her astonishment at the older woman’s perceptiveness, Jackie carefully replied, “Assuming we really could go back in time…I don’t think we could change things that much. I have a feeling time has a way of making sure of that.”

“Perhaps.” Kitty agreed, “Besides…it probably wouldn’t be such a good idea to be able to just go back and change things willy-nilly. I mean…” She explained, “A great deal of what we are comes from our experiences—both good and bad. Hopefully, we learn from the bad stuff and that makes us a better person as we grow up. Take that away, and everything that makes you…you…right now…goes away and you lose an important part of yourself as someone unique…someone special. Right, Jackie?”

As Kitty turned and walked away, Jackie stood at the doorway openmouthed. _Does she know who I really am? No…she can’t know…can she?_

“Oh…Jackie?” Kitty called out before going into the living room, “Don’t forget to let Fez know what’s going on. He’s in the basement with Eric. I’m sure you know the way.”

Entering the living room, Kitty sighed in relief as she saw her husband sitting alone watching the television. “Red?” the blonde nurse gently called out, “We need to talk. You see…I think I’ve figured out who the major is and I’ll know for sure on Monday when Scott gets the fingerprint results back from the DMV.”

“I think I have too.” Red responded, lowering his voice, “I’m having trouble believing it…but it’s the only thing that makes sense.”

******************************************************************************************************************************************************

“So you’re telling me Jenny’s old boyfriend and her cheerleading friend put something in her drink to make her…”

“It’s called a diuretic, Fez.” Major Burkhart patiently explained to the exchange student as the pair sat at the Forman’s kitchen table. “Doctors normally prescribe it to people who are retaining too much water, but sometimes people will use it to try to control their weight—or play a nasty prank on other people—not a smart thing to do because that could cause serious problems.”

“Like what happened to Jenny.” Fez concluded, feeling sympathy for his fellow student. “And they did this to her because…”

“Because she broke up with her old boyfriend over how he and his friends were treating you. What they did to you that day in the bathroom when Hyde and Kelso weren’t there to protect you…that was the last straw for her.” Jackie finished.

“And Jackie just turned her back on her and they were supposed to be best friends…” Fez frowned as he connected the dots, not liking where they were leading.

“Jackie made a human mistake.” Her older self interjected, “And I’m sure that deep down right now she feels bad about it and that when she gets older and understands more about how cruel she was, she’ll feel even worse.”

“Good.” Fez replied through clenched teeth. “She deserves to feel bad.”

“She does, Fez.” Jackie replied in a soft voice, “Believe me…she does.” Taking a breath and exhaling, she launched her plea, “Jenny told me that no one’s asked her to the dance, and that she was hoping that you would…”

“Ask her?” The foreign exchange student interrupted, “Say no more…Fez will ask.”

“Thank you.” Jackie smiled and then cautioned, “Fez…please…remember…she’s very vulnerable right now so treat her nicely.”

“Fez will treat her like a lady. I promise.” The young man declared as he rose to his feet. “I will ask her on Monday at school. I say goodnight!” 

“Thanks, Fez.” Jackie’s smile grew wider as she watched the young man leave, “You know…you’re a good person.”

“I said goodnight!” Fez exclaimed, raising his hand, only this time, the hand raise was really more a friendly wave than the usual dismissive gesture.

As Fez walked away, Jackie’s lips turned up in a warm smile, _Thanks, Fez. You really are a sweetheart_.

*********************************************************************************************************************************

After the major had retired to her room to exercise and then retire for the evening, the phone rang. Answering the phone, Kitty was surprised to hear the voice of her friend, Scott, the supervisor at the DMV. “Scott?’

“Yeah, Kitty.” The DMV supervisor acknowledged, “I thought you might like to know that Nina found the time to get those fingerprints done ahead of time. I’ve got the results here. If you want, we can meet at the office tomorrow and I can give them to you.”

“On a Saturday?” Kitty asked in astonishment, “You sure you want to come into the office on a weekend?”

“It’s not like I’m going to be opening the office for business.” Scott laughed, “You seemed anxious to get those results as soon as possible…”

“I am.” Kitty responded enthusiastically. “I’ll be in first thing in the morning.”

“Why don’t we make it around ten.” Scott suggested, “I need some time to get myself in gear and all.”

“All right.” Kitty chuckled, “Ten o’clock tomorrow then. And…thanks, Scott.”

Entering the living room, Kitty announced to Red, “I just heard from my friend at the DMV. We should know whether we’re right about our guest tomorrow.”

“And if we are?” Red responded in an unusually soft voice.

“Then…” Kitty stammered, “We’ve just stepped into the Twilight Zone.”

************************************************************************************************************************************

_The Water Tower_

“Hand me another beer, Kelso!” Hyde said as he looked down from his perch at the top of the water tower. 

“Here you go.” Michael replied as he reached into he cooler and handed his friend a beer. “Betcha I can chug one down faster than you.”

His lips turned up in an evil smirk, Hyde responded, “Okay…if I win, you take a swan dive from the tower; and if I lose you take a dive.”

“Hey now…” Kelso protested, “You’re cheating! If I win or lose the bet, I’m gonna end up falling…that’s no fun.”

“It is for me.” Steven smirked.

“No way, Hyde.” Kelso shook his head and then, looking down, he pointed, “Hey, Hyde…that’s Pam Macy and those four guys in Greek clothes…”

“And Moose Johnson and his pals.” Hyde finished, at once noticing the football players standing in between the Hercules movie rejects. His lips turning up in an evil grin, he chuckled, “This could be a porno movie.”

“No…really?” Kelso leered, “Cause that would be neat.”

The two boys watched intently as Moose and his friends removed their shirts while Pam began reciting what sounded like a chant in a foreign language. Their eyes then widened in astonishment and fear as the abdomens of the three boys opened, then each one of the Hercules rejects, carrying what appeared to be a large cylindrical device, stood in front of the boys. Pam then uttered a phrase in a language neither one of the teens could understand, except for one word, “Jaffa!” Both boys’ mouths opened wide as what appeared to be snakes emerged from the cylinders and entered the abdomens of Moose and his friends. Their stomachs then closed after the snakes had entered their new hosts. Pam then uttered another command, again using the word, “Jaffa,” and then she and the others turned and walked away.

“What the hell?” Hyde whispered in a voice both awe-struck and horrified.

“I don’t know, Hyde…” Kelso responded as he felt a shudder running up and down his back, “But we gotta tell someone!”

“Who?” Steven gasped, “No one’ll believe us.”

“That major…Jackie’s cousin…might.” Kelso argued, “The Air Force deals with this stuff all the time!”

“No they don’t, you dope!” Hyde growled as he punched his friend on the shoulder. “We tell anyone, they’ll lock us up...or worse. You got that!”

“Yeah…yeah…I got it!” Michael replied as he rubbed the spot on his arm where his friend had hit him. “Ow…you got me good, Hyde.”

Smiling in relief as he saw that his dim friend had already forgotten what he had just seen, Steven took a few minutes to center himself before replying. “Yeah…well…next time…don’t say anything stupid.” His smile grew wider as he gave Kelso a slight push, just enough to send him over the edge of the tower and falling to the ground. “Sorry, Kelso…” Hyde whispered softly, “But I gotta make sure you forget. I don’t know about you, but I’m not going to let them send me to some looney bin…or make me disappear.”


	6. The Big Reveal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kitty and Red put 2 and 2 together and Major Jackie is forced to come clean.

“Oh, Michael!” Teenage Jackie cried out as she heard her boyfriend’s voice over the phone. “Are you hurt?”

“Mrs. Forman says that I just have a bump on my head.” The dim-witted Kelso responded, “They x-rayed me and everything to make sure that I didn’t have a concussion or anything like that and they’re wanting me to stay for a couple of hours to be sure.” He then asked in a pleading voice, “Can you pick me up at the hospital? I think Hyde took my van back when he dropped me off at the hospital.”

“I’m on my way, Michael!” Jackie cried out as she quickly grabbed the car keys to the Lincoln, her concern for her boyfriend, for now, greater than her desire to get to the bottom of what those strange dreams she’d been having were all about. Entering the waiting area of the ward they were holding her boyfriend, young Jackie at once spotted Kitty at the nurses’ station. Dashing over, she called out to get the attention of the nurse, Mrs. Forman! Mrs. Forman!”

“Jackie?” Kitty exclaimed as she closed and put down the file folder she was looking at. “You didn’t need to come all the way out here, dear! Michael’s going to be just fine. In fact, we’re letting him go soon.”

“He told me that he might have a concussion—isn’t that serious?” Jackie inquired.

“He doesn’t have a concussion, sweetie.” Kitty asserted, “It’s just a bump on his head.” She shook her head as she let out a breath of air. “But that boy needs to be more careful or one day he’s really going to get hurt.”

“Yeah.” Jackie quickly agreed, hoping that she’d be spared a lecture from the older woman, “Can I see him?”

Her lips turning up in a bright smile, Kitty replied, “Of course you can. Room 354—just down the hall, fourth door on the left.”

“Thanks, Mrs. Forman!” Jackie exclaimed as she took off down the hallway.

Letting out a breath of air as she watched the anxious teenager depart, Kitty remarked to herself, “Well…if I’m right and not just going crazy, then, I guess one day she comes to her senses.”

Entering the room Kitty had directed her to, Jackie ignored the sleeping patient sharing the room, calling out her boyfriend’s name in a loud, shrill voice that at once awakened the slumbering man, who, startled, nearly pulled out his IV, setting off the alarm.

Rushing into the room, Kitty shook her head as she saw the dark-haired teenager kissing her boyfriend, totally ignorant of the chaos she was causing. “Don’t worry, Mr. Jenkins. I’ll get you all fixed up.” She said in a soothing voice as she calmly and efficiently took care of the elderly man, ensuring that his IV was properly set and then fluffing his pillow. Turning to Jackie, she glared at the young teen. “Jackie…if you’re staying here, you’re going to have to be more considerate. If I or another nurse have to come back here because you’ve set off an alarm, out you go…you understand me?”

A chastened Jackie responded in a soft voice, “Yes, Mrs. Forman.”

“Good.” Kitty replied, her smile returning as she was satisfied with the teenager’s response. “I’ll be outside if you need me.”

“Michael?” Jackie queried in a quieter voice, “What happened?”

“I’m not sure, but I think Hyde pushed me off the tower.” Kelso responded.

Not wanting to believe that the scruffy burnout who was actually a good friend would do something like that deliberately, Jackie asked in a skeptical tone of voice, “Are you sure you didn’t slip again, Michael?” 

“I don’t think I slipped…” Michael responded as he tried to replay the earlier events in his mind, “But I can’t be sure…I could have.”

Shaking her head, Jackie uttered in an exasperated tone, “Oh, Michael…you have to be more careful. One of these days, you’re going to fall off and really hurt yourself—or worse. I’m surprised no one’s gotten themselves killed falling off that tower.”

“Oh, Jackie…” Kelso laughed, “That’ll never happen. The bushes and grass will break their fall. Someone dying from falling off that tower—that’s a one in a million chance.”

“Yeah…” Jackie remarked in a cautionary tone, “Maybe…but I don’t want you to be that one in a million. So promise me…be more careful.”

“I promise.” Michael grudgingly swore and then laughed, “You’ll never believe what I imagined seeing at the tower before I fell…”

“What?”  
“I thought I saw Pam Macy with glowing eyes and talking in a weird voice as Moose Johnson and his friends’ bellies opened up and snakes went in them. Isn’t that crazy?”

As the images from that brief contact with her ‘cousin’ flashed through her mind, Jackie froze as an image of a ring with a blue pool in the middle and her walking through it appeared, followed by another image of a snake forcing its way through her mouth as she was held down by two burly men. “Stargate! Eris! Medea! NO!”

“Jackie? Jackie! Are you okay? What are you talking about? What’s a stargate? And who’s Eris? Baby…you’re worrying me. You’re really pale.” A concerned Michael declared, “I’m gonna call Mrs. Forman!”

“No.” Jackie shook her head as she slowly recovered, “No…I’ll be all right.” Her breath ragged she pleaded as she drew closer to her boyfriend, “We gotta go, Michael. I gotta go see my cousin.” Her eyes growing as wide as saucers, she gasped, “I think I know who she is now.”

“Who is she?” Michael asked as clueless as ever.

“Me.” Jackie whispered in an inaudible voice as she staggered out of the room. “She’s me.”

***************************************************************************************************************************************************************

It had been a busy week for Laurie Forman. Moving into her new apartment in town with the good looking blond guy she met at the disco last week was more work than she thought. What made it worse was that she had to do it all by herself! She couldn’t ask Matt or his friends to help. If anyone back home found out that instead of rooming with a girl, she was shacking up with a guy, they’d immediately blab to her mom and/or dad. Of course, she didn’t care one bit what her spazz brother or the rest of his little friends thought. They didn’t matter. It her mother and father’s reaction—particularly her father’s—that she worried about. Mom, Laurie thought to herself, she could handle. Kitty already didn’t approve of her daughter’s lifestyle, so her living with a man would come as no surprise at all to her. She wouldn’t like it, but she’d accept it in stride. No, it was her father’s reaction that had Laurie worried. He would hit the ceiling! She had to make sure that he came nowhere near Matt otherwise feet in asses would be the least of her concerns.

Latching on to Matt was a stroke of luck on her part she admitted to herself as she turned down the street where the Forman house was located. She was having problems finding an apartment that would take her—no references or credit history hurt, and added to that, was the fact that she had no job or other means of income other than daddy’s largesse and that, since he’d lost his job and was having problems finding another one, was growing more and more grudging. Sooner or later—more likely sooner rather than later—that well was going to run dry. She needed a sugar daddy—and fast!

She hadn’t planned on going to the disco that night. Money was tight and prospects low and she’d left her stash at home, so she didn’t even have that to dull the pain. However, Janice talked her into going and she needed a good lay so she decided, why not? As she laid eyes on Matt for the first time, she was glad she let her friend talk her into going. She was planning on going home with him even before finding out that he was having problems with his wife and they had separated—not that she’d let something as trivial as a wedding ring stand between her and someone she wanted. One night of wild sex and she had a new roommate willing to foot all the bills. Yep, life had gotten much better. Now, all she had to do was move the last of her stuff from her room to the apartment and she was set.

Pulling into the driveway to the Forman house, Laurie’s eyebrows rose as she spotted the strange Granada parked by itself, both the Vista Cruiser and the Toyota being absent. “Hmmm…” Laurie mused as she parked Matt’s car and got out, “I wonder whose car that is? Jackie drives her daddy’s Lincoln; Kelso has that van of his; Donna doesn’t drive; and there’s no way in hell Dad’s gonna splurge for a new car for Eric.” Shrugging her shoulders, she concluded, “Doesn’t matter. I’m just gonna get my stuff and go.”

As she entered her old home, Laurie heard music playing from her old room. “Did Dad already give my room to Hyde?” The blonde diva grumbled and then as she listened to the music and its Latin disco beat, she shook her head, “Never heard that song before, but…it’s kinda cool…”

_“Come on shake your body baby do the conga…  
I know you can’t control yourself any longer…”_

Clambering up the stairs to her room, Laurie paused at the open door, her eyes wide open in shock and disbelief. A petite, well-muscled dark haired woman with a pixie-like hairstyle that the young blonde could have sworn had to be her rival, Jackie Burkhart, was doing pushups on the floor wearing nothing but what looked like a bra and panties. The stranger then jumped up and began running in place, maintaining a pace that would have exhausted the blonde party girl as the music changed to another tune she had never heard before.

_“We were at a party_  
His earlobe fell in the deep  
Someone reached in and grabbed it  
It was a Rock Lobster 

Recovering from her initial shock, Laurie called out, “Excuse me…Excuse me!”

Hearing the voice calling out, Jackie quickly turned off the music and turned about. Then, seeing the blonde woman standing before her, her heart froze.

“Excuse me…what are you doing in my room, Miss or Private or whoever you are?” Laurie demanded as her eye caught a glimpse of the blue military uniforms in the closet.

“Major…” Jackie said in a soft voice as her eyes looked on the ghost from her past. “Major Jackie Burkhart…U. S. Air Force.”

“Funny…” Laurie snorted, “There’s a snot-nosed brat with that same name who hangs around here all the time.”

“She’s my cousin.” Jackie replied frostily as she picked up a towel to wipe the sweat off her body.

Seeing the toned muscles on the strange woman and the ugly scar on her leg, Laurie quickly backtracked from her earlier combative tone, taking on a more friendly posture. “Oh…So…why are you here and not staying with the Burkharts?”

“It’s a long story.” Jackie answered back, “I’m only here for a few days before I have to report to my new duty station and Red and Kitty were kind enough to rent the room out to me. I can find a motel if you’re planning on moving back in though. I don’t want to be an inconvenience.”

“No…that’s all right.” Laurie replied and then asked, “I’ve got an apartment in town. Normally, this place is packed, do you know where everyone is?”

“Yeah.” Jackie responded, “Kitty had to go to the hospital to fill in for someone and then has to meet someone in town, Red went to the market to pick up some brats to grill for the game today, and I think Eric and the others are in the…”

“Basement.” Laurie finished with a crooked grin on her face. “I think I’ll go down and bust Eric’s chops before I head back to my apartment.” Pausing for a moment, she requested, “Okay if I pick up a few things?”

Knowing that one of those few things was hidden away in the closet, Jackie replied as she picked up her electronics before making her way to the bathroom, “Go on ahead—it’s your room—I’m just renting it. I’m gonna grab a quick shower and then head downstairs. I’m expecting a friend or two to come by. I’ll get out of your way.”

“Thanks.” Laurie replied, “I won’t be too long. Nice tunes, by the way. I don’t think I heard them before…”

“Oh…” Jackie exclaimed. “They’re from a couple of local groups I heard playing in bars while I was stationed down south. I think they’re going to make it big one day.”

“Yeah…maybe…” Laurie politely answered back and then asked before the strange woman disappeared into the bathroom, “Ummm…when you looked at me earlier, you looked like you saw a ghost or something…but we’ve never met before…have we?”

“No.” Jackie shook her head as her voice took on a slightly mournful edge, “We’ve never met.”

 

Sighing in relief as she saw that her stash hadn’t been touched, Laurie picked it up and then gave the major’s uniform a quick glance. Deciding against going through its pockets, the blonde party girl, hearing the sound of water from the shower, noticed the unicorn figurine on the bedside table and looked at it before setting it back down again. “Well…this proves she’s the runt’s cousin.”

Walking down the basement stairs, Laurie took in a moment to drink in the second hand smoke from the circle. “Hey!” She called down, “What’s the deal with the woman in my room?”

“She’s Jackie’s cousin and a major in the Air Force. Eric responded, adding, “She’s staying for a few days to catch up with Jackie. Kinda weird both of them having the same name like that and looking almost alike.”

“Except for the major’s short hair and uniform.” Fez noted, “Our Jackie would never cut her lovely hair or put on any uniform except a cheerleader one.”

“Yeah…well…I saw her working out.” Laurie shook her head, “You think Donna’s got muscles…that woman could probably kick Red’s ass. Looks like she mighta gotten burnt or shot or something too cause she’s got an ugly scar on her leg.”

“Well…Dad noticed that she had a couple of Purple Hearts.” Eric replied, “Maybe she saw some fighting somewhere by accident?” 

“Or she does dirty work for the military.” Hyde scowled, “Secret commandos, man!”

“They don’t allow women to be commandos, Hyde.” Eric remarked with a snort.

“How do you know?” A bleary-eyed Steven countered as he passed the joint to Laurie who had joined the circle.

“Maybe she’s a lesbo.” Laurie snorted, “Those muscles and that short hair.”

“She’s in the Air Force. They’ve got rules about hair.” Eric shook his head, “And maybe she just likes staying in shape?”

“Shut up, stringbean!” Laurie snapped back, “She was listening to some new tunes while she was working out. I mean…they weren’t bad—they were kinda cool really—but I’ve never heard those songs before.”

“What was she playing?” Hyde inquired as the joint returned to him.

“The first song had a Latin beat and the woman singing it was good. I mean really good! I think it was called ‘Conga’ or something like that.” Laurie replied.

“Sounds like it could be Miami Sound Machine.” Steven guessed, “I read about ‘em in a music magazine Leo gave me. They’re pretty big on the Latin scene in Miami. Some woman—I think her name’s Gloria? Gloria Estefan? joined the group last year. Military Girl might have gotten hold of one of those demo singles they sell in bars where they do concerts.”

“That’s probably it.” Eric agreed.

“The other song was really strange though.” Laurie said as she took the joint from Hyde. “Something called ‘Rock Lobster’.”

“The B-52s!” Hyde exclaimed. “Well…one good thing about Military Girl—she’s got good taste in music.”

“Wait a minute…” Eric interjected, “You’ve heard of that group?”

“Yeah, man.” Steven nodded his head, “They’re big on the local scene in Athens, Georgia along with another group—REM. Play a lot of college pubs and all and I heard they’re just about to make the big time. Read that they signed a deal and are about to release an album. Sounds like Military Girl digs the local scenes and groups. That’s cool.”

 

“Guess who I ran into in the driveway.” Red exclaimed with a gleam in his eyes as he entered the house with Jeff close behind him. Speaking to the major, he prompted, “You two have a seat on the couch and tune in the game. I’ll get the brats going on the grill. Beers are in the fridge.”

“Thanks, Red.” Jackie replied with an evil grin, “Laurie’s here…I think she went down to the basement.”

“Oh?” A pleased Red responded, “I’ll just pop down there and say hello—maybe kick a few asses while I’m down if the moron squad’s there.”

“They are.” Jackie answered back, her evil grin growing wider.

As their host disappeared into the basement, Jeff turned to the woman seated next to him and winked, “You just threw those kids to the lion, didn’t you?”

“Hell yeah.” Jackie responded with a smirk as she counted down, “Five…four…three…two…one…”

“Dumbasses!” The couple chuckled as they heard Red’s voice reaching them even in the living room. “Eric—clean the gutters! Steven—clean the garage! And you—foreign kid—go home!”

Several minutes later, as the elder Forman entered the living room, Jackie smirked, “Have fun, Red?”

His lips also turning up in a wicked grin, Red answered back, “You know…I did. You two grab a beer and watch the game while I get those brats grilled.”

“Thanks, Red!”

Not much later, Red returned with a platter of brats and buns just as Jackie leaped up from her seat, screaming, “You suck! You call yourself a quarterback! Ever hear of a forward pass, Doolie! That wide receiver was wide open! Dumbass!”

“You’re definitely our Jackie’s cousin.” Red remarked with a laugh as he set the brats and fixings down in the kitchen. “You two dig in!”

“Sit and watch the game, Red.” Jeff chuckled as Army scored another touchdown. “Tiny Dancer’s having a bad day.”

“Tiny Dancer?” Red’s eyebrows lifted in amused inquiry.

“My call sign.” Jackie replied with a pout as Air Force turned the ball over yet again. “It was a tossup between that and Dancing Queen. I’d have been happy with either one, but the squadron picked Tiny Dancer.” She then got up from the couch, “You two men sit and talk, I’ll fix the brats. If I stick around, I’m afraid I’ll throw a bowling ball through Red’s TV.”

Laughing as the Air Force major made her way to the kitchen, Red remarked, “Maybe some of her will rub off on her cousin.”

Jeff nodded his head, “Remember the Veterans Day dinner last year?”

“The one with Colonel Carter as the guest speaker?” Red answered back as he sipped his beer, “Yeah, I remember.”

“Well…Jacob was grabbing drinks with me and George…George Hammond…and the subject of Jackie came up.”

“Oh?”

“It seemed that Jacob had a little talk with her outside and came away from it impressed with her—and Colonel Carter’s not an easy man to impress.” The Army colonel remarked, “That girl’s a diamond in the rough. All she needs to do is figure out where she wants to go and what she wants to do. Jacob said that when she does that, nothing and no one is going to stop her.”

Nodding his head in agreement, Red replied, “Don’t tell anyone I told you this—but I think you’re right. Out of all of Eric’s friends—even Donna—I think Jackie’s got the most potential to make it.” Shaking his head, the older man grumbled, “She just has to get rid of that giant rock hanging around her neck.”

“You mean Kelso.”

“Yeah.” Red nodded his head, “As long as she’s involved with that kettle head, she’s never going to get anywhere.”

“Well…” Jeff offered consolingly, “Maybe she’ll dump him one day.”

“We can only hope.”

**********************************************************************************************************************************************************************

“I’m checking out now, Dottie!” Kitty Forman said as her replacement walked to the nurse’s station. “I’ve got an important appointment and I don’t want to be late.”

“Go on, Kitty.” Dottie smiled back, “I got you covered.”

“Thanks, I owe you one!”

_A short time later: The DMV Office_

“Here are the results of the fingerprint analysis you asked for.” Scott said as he presented the results to an anxious Kitty. “The prints match those of the person you asked for.”

“How close a match are we talking about?” Kitty asked as her heart skipped a beat.

“For all intents and purposes, exact.” Scott replied, “They’re the same person.”

“Could they be mistaken.” Kitty asked as her pulse raced.

“No.” The DMV supervisor answered back. “As you know, every person’s fingerprints are unique and these match. The person who touched that silverware is the same Jackie Burkhart as the person who put their prints on this card.”

“Oh my!” Kitty fainted as all color drained from her face.

Rushing quickly, Scott caught Kitty as she staggered. Guiding the woman to a chair, he brought over a glass of water. Gently holding the glass to her lips, Scott asked, “You ok? Want me to call an ambulance or your husband?”

“No...” Kitty stammered as she sipped the water. “I’ll be ok. Just give me a few moments.”

“Why did you want me to run those prints?” Scott asked as Kitty slowly recovered.

“I just wanted to be sure about something.” Kitty replied with a nervous laugh as she slowly rose to her feet. “It’s ok.” She said in a reassuring tone as her friend moved to help her up. “I’m all right now.” Taking a deep breath as she clutched the papers in her hands, Kitty declared, her voice still shaky, “I have to get home now.”

“Take care of yourself, Mrs. Forman.” The supervisor said as he watched Kitty depart. “Call if you need anything.”

Reaching her car, Kitty fumbled for the keys. _I have to get home. Red and Donna are never going to believe this!_

*************************************************************************************************************************

“Sorry about the game.” Jeff said as he tried to keep the smug look off his face while handing Jackie and Red beers.

“No, you’re not.” Jackie smirked as she took a sip of her beer. “So…guess I owe you a steak dinner. How does before the school dance sound?”

“Sounds good to me.” Jeff responded as an ashen faced Kitty entered the house with Donna beside her.

“Kitty?” Red, seeing the disturbed look on his wife’s face, called out in a worried tone, “Is everything okay?”

“Yeah, Red…sure.” Kitty stammered as her eyes focused on the top of the stairs, “Can I talk to you for a moment—in private?”

“Eric wants me to pick up something from his room, Mrs. Forman.” Donna interjected. “Mind if I go up?”

“Of course not, Donna.” Kitty replied as Jackie arched an eyebrow. “Red? Please…our room?”

Picking up on his wife’s intent, Red nodded his head, “I’m on my way.” Turning to his guests, Red apologized, “I’m sorry, but…”

“We understand, Red.” Jackie responded, “You two go on and take care of whatever you’ve got to take care of.”

“Yeah.” Jeff nodded his head, “We’ll find something to keep us occupied until you get back.”

As the Forman couple and Donna disappeared upstairs, Jeff arched an eyebrow. “I wonder what that was all about.”

“I don’t know.” Jackie answered back with a shrug of her shoulders, “Guess we’ll find out soon enough.” 

 

“Fingerprints don’t lie.” Kitty said in a low voice as she showed Red and Donna the two Jackie’s fingerprints. “See…they’re the same. That woman downstairs is the same Jackie that we know.”

“But how?” Red shook his head, “We’re talking the sort of stuff Eric’s always spouting off about.”

“I don’t know, Red.” Kitty huffed, “All I know is that somehow…some way…that Jackie came from…whenever…she’s from to here.”

“So…” Donna inquired, “What do we do?”

“I say we find out why she’s here and what she wants.” Kitty declared.  
“How?” Donna shook her head in bewilderment, “Do we just go downstairs and say to her, ‘Hey Jackie…how did you travel back in time?”

“Unless you can think of a better way.” Kitty prompted, “No?” She said as both her husband and Donna fell silent. “All right, then. Let’s go and get this over with.”

 

As the trio upstairs had their conversation, the basement dwellers made their way upstairs for a munchie run. Spotting the brats on the platter, a big grin overtook Hyde’s features, “Oh yeah…come to Papa.” He said as he snatched a bun and brat and then added mustard and relish.

“All right, brats!” Eric grinned as helped himself to another brat.

“Ooooh yeah.” Fez drooled.

Plopping down in Red’s chair, Hyde quipped as Laurie took the other seat. “So…who won?”

“Army.” Jackie pouted. “And it wasn’t even close.” She then shouted at the Air Force players leaving the field, “Losers! I hope coach makes you run punishment laps all week!”

“Be nice, Major.” Jeff joked, “One of these days you’re gonna be in command of one of them.”

“Or knowing my luck…” Jackie jibed back, “They’ll end up my CO.”

“Uhhhh…Jackie?” Kitty, walking down the stairs ahead of Red and Donna and carrying a manila folder, called down as the front door burst open to reveal the younger Jackie accompanied by her boyfriend.

Pointing at the major, younger Jackie shouted, “She’s me!” Then, looking at her older self, tears streaming down her eyes, she pleaded, “Please…tell them. I know you’re me. I figured it out. I saw you at…” Her eyes then fell on Laurie and she went silent. “I saw you there. Please…tell me why you’re here.”

Gazing intently into the Air Force officer’s eyes, Kitty inquired in a no-nonsense tone of voice, “So…you want to tell us, Jackie Beulah Burkhart, how did you go back in time and what are you doing here?”

“Wait a minute!” Eric exclaimed, shaking his head in disbelief as he pointed first at the major and then at the younger Jackie, “Are you trying to say that the major is really Jackie from the future? No way!”

“It’s true, Eric.” Donna told her boyfriend in a hushed tone.

‘Gotta admit, Mrs. Forman.” Steven guffawed, “You had me for a moment.”

“Mom?” Laurie pleaded, seeing the same somber look on teenage Jackie’s face that she had seen earlier on the older version when they both looked at her, “What’s going on here?”

“Good burn!” Kelso laughed as he spoke to Kitty and his girlfriend, “You two must have cooked this up while we were at the hospital.”

Gritting his teeth at the growing commotion and hubbub, Red took a deep breath and shouted, “Enough!” 

“Mrs. Forman?” The older Jackie asked as the room fell to a hush, “What do you mean?”

“I meant what I said, Jackie.” Kitty replied as she handed the fingerprint records to the major. “These confirmed what I’ve been suspecting since that incident in the mall. I know it’s you. Did you really think that you could fool me? Or Red for that matter? Leaving out the fingerprints which seal the deal, little things just started adding up like the fact that you still dot your i’s with hearts—which I think is really cute by the way…or that little unicorn figurine that I saw on your bedstead this morning while I was cleaning. Both the birthday card to your little friend Cassie and the unicorn have twenty-first century dates on them. If it was just one of them, I’d say it was a mistake…but both…” The blonde matriarch shook her head, “Too big a coincidence. Nurses are taught to be observant about the little things…we have to be to do our jobs. So…what’s the story…”

“And tell us the truth.” Red demanded.

“What the hell is going on here, Major?” Lieutenant Colonel Edwards inquired, his voice now carrying a note of authority.

“I figured it out about the same time Kitty did.” Red declared. “Once I got over how stupid it seemed and began to think things through, it became the only answer that made sense. The way you held that flashlight…just like you did for me a few months ago…that loud mouth of yours during the football game when you yelled because Air Force was getting its ass kicked…just like our Jackie…the way you carry yourself…even though you’ve grown up both physically and mentally, you’ve still kept a few little quirks from when you were younger.”

“Like the way your cross your arms and raise your eyebrows when you’re irritated at some one or how you kicked your feet when we sat on the car and talked that evening.” Donna added.

“Little things you and the morons never thought we see…” Red declared with a smirk as he also eyed the teenagers in the room, “…but we do.”

“So, Jackie…” Kitty asked, in a voice both compassionate and demanding, “What are you doing here…and now?”

Lowering her voice, Jackie confessed with a sigh, “I could never fool the two of you. It’s a long story and it gets really technical…and very painful in places…are you sure you want to hear it?”

Taking out another beer and handing it to the major, Jeff responded gruffly, “We’ve got time.”

“That we do.” Jackie sighed as she opened her beer and took a swig. Looking up at Jeff, she asked with a crooked grin on her face, “How high’s your security clearance, Colonel?”

“Pretty damn high, Major.” Jeff replied, “But I’ve got a feeling it’s not as high as yours. Your call as to whether to divulge what information you have that’s classified, whatever you decide, I’ll back you.”

“All right...” Jackie sighed as she made her decision. Facing the tiny group that had gathered at the table, she announced in a clear, authoritative voice, “Before I say anything…” Her attention turning to Kelso, she commanded as she took some dollar bills out of her purse, “Michael? You’re the only one of that group who hasn’t been down in the basement and you’ve got your van, so you’re driving.” Seeing Red’s arched eyebrow, the major smirked, “Sorry, Red…classified.” Ignoring Red’s muttered, “I knew it. Hopheads!” Jackie continued to issue orders to her old boyfriend as she handed him the money, “Michael…I want you to take Laurie, Fez, Steven, and maybe Eric to the Hub. If I remember right, it’s double burger and fries night there—my treat.”

“Hey, thanks!” Kelso grinned as he took the money, “You’re cool. Are we like…you know…still doing it in the future and if we are, did we join the Mile High Club?”

“No, Michael, we’re not.” Jackie chuckled as she shook her head and then told him in a warm voice, “But you’re still one of my best friends.”

“Why are you making us leave?” Laurie demanded as Hyde raised his voice in support.

“Yeah, man! We got a right to know.” Steven declared.

“No, you don’t, Steven.” Jackie sternly replied. “Michael…I’m sending you away because you can’t keep a secret if your life depended on it—and with this secret…” she declared in a grave and cautionary voice, “…it does. Fez…” Her lips turned up in a warm smile as she regarded her friend, “You’re a foreign national, so that alone means I can’t tell you anything.” 

Her eyes then focused on Hyde’s, locking his in her gaze, “Steven. I can’t trust you with this. Laurie…” She then shifted her attention to the blonde, “That goes for you too. I can’t trust either one of you with sensitive national security information. You both have to go.” Turning to Red and Kitty, she advised, “I’m going to leave the decision as to whether Eric stays or goes to you two and I’ll respect whatever you decide.” She then spoke to the slender young man standing next to Donna, “Eric…you and Donna are two of my best friends…you both ground me when I need grounding in the future, so, I’m not going to say this lightly. I think it’s better for you to go with the others. If you should slip up and tell someone what I’m about to talk about, at best, they’ll think you’re crazy. At worst…you don’t want to know what can happen to you. That goes for the rest of you as well.” She declared, turning her attention to the other teenagers, “This is not like stealing a road sign or tree from the side of the road or cheating on someone or trying to make sure Red doesn’t find out what you’re up to—which never works by the way. “ Her final remark earning a brief chuckle from the Forman patriarch, she warned, “This is the sort of stuff that can get you killed if the wrong people find out you know about it. So…you’re going to the Hub and you’re going to pig out on burgers and fries with my money. Understand?”

“We understand.” Kelso responded in a low voice, echoing the thoughts of the others save for one rebellious teen who barely hid his simmering feelings of distrust and resentment behind a placid, Zen-like mask.

“That’s cool.” Steven declared.

Staring once again at her old boyfriend, Major Jackie, well aware of Steven’s tactics, warned him, “I’m deadly serious about this, Steven. Don’t even try to find out what’s going on here. You don’t want to know what can happen to you if you dig too deep into this.”

“I get the message.” Hyde grumbled, “Do like I’m told or else. I’ll be a good boy.” Seeing the crossed arms and raised eyebrows of the older Jackie, Steven sighed, “I promise.”

“I’ll make sure he keeps that promise.” Eric, realizing the seriousness of the situation, declared. Turning to his parents, the major, and Donna, he apologized, “I wish I could stick around and find out what’s going on, but…I guess I understand why you want me to go with the others. I could let something slip without meaning to—it wouldn’t be the first time I’ve done something like that.” He looked contritely at both his girlfriend and the younger Jackie and then concluded on a positive note, “I’ll make sure we get there okay and stay there until you call—all right?”

Smiling warmly at her old friend, Jackie responded, “Thanks, Eric.”

Nodding his head approvingly at his son, Red added in a low voice that only Eric and the other adults in the room could hear, “I’m proud of you, Son.”

**************************************************************************************************************************************************

Returning to the gathering in the living room after making sure that the teenagers had all left in Kelso’s van, Red took his seat before commanding, “All right. Now…will you tell us what’s going on?”

Taking a deep breath, Jackie responded, “What I’m going to tell you is classified...highly classified. I’m taking a big chance telling you this, but...if you’re going to understand how I got here, you’re going to have to know about it.” 

“We understand.” Red replied with a gravity to his voice, “Whatever you tell us will remain safe with us. You have my promise.”

“Mine too.” Kitty exclaimed.

“I’ll keep quiet too.” Donna chimed in.

“Nothing leaves this room, Major.” Colonel Edwards declared

Looking her older self in the eyes, younger Jackie remarked in soft voice, “I guess it’s pretty obvious I kept the secret.”

“Yeah.” The major replied with a smile. “All right. Fair warning. Once you hear what I have to say, you’ll never be able to look at the world...or the universe...the same way again.”

After several more moments, Kitty spoke. “Go ahead, Dear. Tell us what you have to tell us.”

“Yeah. We can handle it.” Donna confidently stated.

“We’ll see about that, Donna.” The major replied. “Before you can understand how I got here, I’m going to have to tell you about the Stargate and the Stargate Program.”

“Stargate?” Red exclaimed, “What the hell is a Stargate?”

Taking a deep breath, Major Burkhart explained, “To put it simply, a stargate is a way of traveling to other planets orbiting other stars without having to use spaceships.”

“That’s ridiculous!” Red scoffed as Kitty and Donna shook their heads in disbelief while Jeff quietly listened.

“It’d take forever to explain it.” Older Jackie sighed. “I’d have to get into wormhole physics and all that to explain it in detail. Colonel Carter’s the expert in that sort of stuff—she’s the one you want to talk to. I just fly and point and shoot. What I can tell you is that it is very real, and it works and we’ve been using it for several years now.”

“Ok...” Donna still trying to wrap her mind around the concept of the stargate, inquired, “When and where did you discover this...stargate?”

“It was discovered by archaeologists in Egypt in 1928.” The major replied, “But we didn’t understand how to use it until much later. Although...” She added thoughtfully, “...there were attempts during World War 2 and after the war to try to figure it out—but they didn’t work out well.”

As the eyes of his wife, Donna, and the younger Jackie turned to Red, the older man scowled, “What? I was just a Chief Petty Officer; I didn’t know anything about any secret projects. Ok, yeah...there was the usual scuttlebutt about weird experiments and stuff—like that Philadelphia thing or the Manhattan Project, but you always have stuff like that in war. Some of it’s true, most of its BS. I never heard anything about any ‘stargates’! Although...wait...No! Can’t be! Can it? It makes sense now though...”

“What, Red?” Kitty exclaimed.

Taking a deep breath, the balding retired CPO explained, “I ran into someone while I was in Pearl on shore leave—just after Tarawa. He was very quiet...twitchy, like Eric. Navy man...petty officer first class. I asked him what ship he was on and he said that he just came off a special assignment. We got to drinking...you know how it is. Well, after a few drinks, he let something slip. I didn’t think much of it at the time, but after hearing the major talking about the stargate, it kind of clicks.”

“What was it?” Donna asked.

“He said something about blue pools in rings and then clammed up—tight.” Red scowled, “After that, he got up and left—fast.”

“I’ve also heard some stuff…” Lieutenant Colonel Edwards confessed. “Whispers about a Project Giza that certain people were considering reactivating.”

“Project Giza was the name that the Stargate Program used to go by.” Jackie replied, smiling at the handsome colonel. “They reactivated the project when I graduated the Academy in 1984. They brought me in after I graduated.” She then answered Red, “The petty officer you met might have been part of one of the early experiments.” 

“A raw second lieutenant immediately brought into a top-secret project like that…” Jeff let out a low whistle, “You must have been shit-hot in the Academy seeing as last year was the first year they admitted females.”

“I wasn’t top in my class, although I finished with a 3.5 GPA…” Jackie admitted with a crooked grin, “And I think I came close to breaking the record for punishment walks. In case no one noticed, I kinda have a big mouth.” Ignoring the nervous laughter coming from the others, Jackie continued, “Anyway. We found out very quickly that we weren’t alone in the universe and that not all of our neighbors were friendly.”

“What do you mean?” Kitty asked with a sense of dread, “Not all of our neighbors are friendly?”

“Just that.” Older Jackie bluntly replied. “We very quickly found ourselves in a war with an alien race—the Goau’ld—the moment our people first stepped out on to another planet.”

“Who are these ‘Goau’ld’?” Jeff asked.

“Think of them as parasitic snakes.” Older Jackie replied, hatred and disgust evident in her voice. “They wrap themselves around your brainstem and take you over—body and mind.” Shivering as she remembered her own possession, Jackie’s voice dropped to a sad murmur.

“You were taken over by one of those things, weren’t you?” A sympathetic Kitty surmised as she wrapped a supportive arm around the major.

“Yeah.” Older Jackie nodded her head. “One of Eris’s lieutenants, Medea. She controlled me for at least a year. Made me do things...things that...” 

“Wait...” Donna interrupted, “You mean Medea as in ‘Jason and the Argonauts’ Medea? And Eris as in... the Greek goddess...” Turning to Kitty, Donna explained, “I remember reading about them in Mythology class last year.”

“Yeah.” Older Jackie replied, nodding her head glumly. “Most legends have their origins in fact. The Goaul’d used to control the Earth thousands of years ago until they were overthrown—with the help of one of the Stargate teams that got thrown back into the past it turned out. Anyway, one thing about the Goaul’d is that they are the biggest narcissists in the universe—worse than me if you can believe that!” She chuckled nervously. “They like to think of themselves as being gods. Well, when they were in charge here, they adopted the names of the gods the ancients worshiped—or the ancients gave them their names—whichever, it doesn’t really matter. It’s sort of a chicken—egg thing if you know what I mean. Medea possessed me until I was rescued by another Stargate team. Our Tok’ra allies helped get her out of my body—but...” She grimaced, “I still carry little bits of her with me.”

“It’s all right, Dearie...” Kitty consoled as younger Jackie looked on helplessly, “Whatever she did, it wasn’t your fault. You couldn’t stop her—right?”

“No.” Older Jackie confessed and then explained in a soft voice, “You...your conscience is still there, in your mind. It’s like watching a movie. You know...when you get to the scary scene where the slasher’s about to kill the woman. You see what’s happening, but it’s like you’re in a glass cage and you can’t do anything about it but watch.” Looking up, she managed a shaky smile as she spoke, “That’s where one of the Purple Hearts that I can’t tell anyone about comes from.”

“I’m so sorry.” Donna consoled as Red placed a supporting hand on the major’s shoulder.

“You were a prisoner of war, Major—and you survived. That’s what’s important.” Jeff declared, “You did your duty and you did it well. You’ve got nothing to be ashamed of.”

“You couldn’t do anything about it, Jackie. And in the end...” The Forman patriarch declared in a proud voice, “You beat it.” His eyes then focused on both Jackies, “Because you’re tough and smart and stubborn as all hell.”

Her lips turning up into a smile, Older Jackie looked up at Red as she gave her younger self a shy smile, “That’s because you taught us to be that way. Anyway...” Older Jackie remarked, “It’s not all bad. Thanks to the naquadah in my blood from Medea, I can use the Goaul’d devices...provided I concentrate hard enough. And... I’ve got built in Goau’lddar. I can pretty much instantly detect the presence of another Goaul’d inside a host body.”

“In other words,...” Donna interjected, “You can tell whether someone’s been possessed or not.”

“Exactly.” Older Jackie replied, nodding her head.

Shaking his head as he tried to take everything in, Red inquired, “Ok... How did you get back here from wherever...whenever...you came from?”

“Basically, one of our alien allies helped to send me back.” Older Jackie answered back. “Here’s the note from General O’Neill explaining what’s going on.” She said as she handed the note from her commanding officer to Red who then handed it to Jeff. “It seems Eris does something to cause a time loop in which we’re stuck, and the loop has its origins here.”

“Point Place?” Donna exclaimed. “Aliens are in Point Place?”

“Yup.” Older Jackie replied, “Point Place is ground zero. know this is a lot to take in. If you have any further questions, I’ll try to answer them for you. Ok?”

“What about me?” Younger Jackie cried out. “Is this what I have to look forward to? To have some...THING...inside me? To fight and kill people and watch people get killed? Don’t I have any say in what I want to be? I don’t WANT this!” Tears running down her cheeks, she sobbed, “I don’t want to join the Air Force! I don’t want to wear a boring old uniform! I want to marry Michael and be a Dallas Cowboys cheerleader and be pretty and popular!” 

Watching as he younger self darted out of the room, Older Jackie spoke in a quiet, almost inaudible voice, “I better go talk to her.”

“I’ll come with you.” Donna volunteered, her expression indicating that she would not take no for an answer. “She needs me too.”

“Go on and take care of her.” Red directed, “We’ll be here when you get back.”

 

Her eyes adjusting to the darkness, Jackie was guided by soft whimpers to Donna’s room where she quickly spotted a small figure lying on the bed crying.

“She burst in here a few minutes ago.” Bob remarked as he met the Air Force major and Donna in the hallway. “What happened.”

“She just heard some upsetting news, Dad.” Donna replied. “Don’t worry, we’ve got it.”

“You sure pumpkin?” Bob responded, his face and voice reflecting his concern. “If you want, I can get Midge to come in.”

“No.” Donna replied, shaking her head. “We can handle it.”

“Ok.” Bob conceded, “If you need us...”

“We’ll let you know, Mr. Pinciotti.” Older Jackie interjected, “And thanks.”

Entering the darkened room, Donna called out in a gentle voice, “Hey?”

“Go away.” Younger Jackie whimpered.

Sitting on the edge of the bed, Donna placed her hand on her friend’s shoulder. “I can understand what you’re going through.”

“No you can’t!” Younger Jackie cried out. “How could you? How could anyone? To find out that you don’t have any control...”

“I know exactly what it’s like.” Older Jackie interrupted. “Remember, I had Medea in me for over a year. I know what it feels like to have no control over what you say or do.”

“Then don’t make me be you!” Younger Jackie spat out. “Let me do what I want to do!”

Sighing, Older Jackie opened her I-Pad. “Funny thing is...you will want to do what I’m doing—and our life’s not all bad. As a matter of fact, most of it’s good. Here...” She said as she set the I-Pad on the bed so that Donna and her younger self could see. “Let me show you.” She then showed them pictures of a waterfall at night under two moons, of a temple under a pink sky with two suns. “And those are just a couple of the things I’ve seen. You’re also going to make some good friends. Remember that birthday card to Cassie? Well...” Jackie smiled as she brought up a picture of a young girl, “...here she is. And here’s her adoptive mother, Dr. Janet Frasier...she’s our chief medical officer. She’s patched me up and saved my life so many times that I’ve lost count. And here are the rest of my team...” She then pointed to a picture of two men and a woman wearing BDUs, smiling at the camera. “Lieutenant Anderson...” She said, pointing to a blond-haired man.

“He’s kind of cute.” Younger Jackie noted as she dried her eyes.

“Yeah...well...off limits.” Older Jackie smirked, “Fraternization rules.” She joked as she pointed to the other two members of her team, “Sergeant Rodriguez...he’s the muscle of the team.” She remarked, pointing to the dark complexioned Hispanic male, “And Dr. Elizabeth Stewart, our civilian specialist. They’re a good group—the best.” Her lips turning up into an even broader smile, “Oh...and you’ll still get to cheer.” She said as she pointed to a picture of herself wearing a blue and white cheerleading uniform, “Head cheerleader, US Air Force Academy, my senior year.” She said as she stood up and did an impromptu cheer, ending it with a loud, “Go Falcons!” Sitting back down again, she smirked, “I’ve still got it.”

“So...” Younger Jackie asked her lips now turned up into a slight smile, “What made me decide to join the Air Force?”

“A lot of things..” Older Jackie replied, “You know how much we love the idea of flying…”

“Yeah.” Younger Jackie’s lips turned up in a slight smile.

Older Jackie’s grin grew wider, “I’ve flown everything from fighter jets to bombers to a…well…I’ll keep that as a surprise for you, but it comes with these…” She said as she out a set of silver wings out of her pocket. “Gold is if you haven’t flown—silver means you’ve actually done it.”

“Are those what I think they are?” Donna gasped.

“Yep.” Older Jackie smirked triumphantly, “Astronaut’s wings. I can’t wear them now because…well…no women astronauts—at least none who’ve flown yet. But…” She looked down on her younger self, “When you see how beautiful the Earth looks from orbit…I promise you; it’ll make all the rough stuff worth it.”

“Wow!” Younger Jackie gasped as Donna inquired.

“What do you remember about now...I mean...this time?” 

“To be honest...” Older Jackie replied, “I don’t remember too much about what happened during this time here. That’s kind of weird now that I think about it. I remember everything before now really well and afterwards too, but this week and the next few weeks...it’s all kind of cloudy.”

“Yeah.” Donna agreed. “That is weird. What do you think is going on? Do you think it has something to do with you being here with...well...you?"

“I don’t know.” The major replied, “Maybe...could be.” Shaking her head, Older Jackie smiled, “Just thinking about time travel makes my head spin. Anyway, back to what we were talking about. While we were in high school and for a while after graduating...” she said, speaking directly to her younger self, “...we kind of spun our wheels for a while...tried one thing, then another and another, nothing really working or feeling right. And then I saw...you’ll see... some brochures from the Air Force Academy and made...will make...some calls, talked to some people, took a good look at myself...where I was and where I wanted to be...and... well...it all fell into place.”

“Where you were and where you wanted to be?” Younger Jackie asked, “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“You’ll know when the time comes.” Older Jackie replied. Seeing the dubious look her younger self was giving her, the major sighed, “Look...I wish I could tell you more...but I can’t.”

“Because you’d risk changing the future?” Donna asked.

“Partly.” Older Jackie confessed. “But also because she...I... will have to come to that point on our own—when the time’s right. I know that probably doesn’t make a whole lot of sense to you right now...”

“Actually...” Donna interjected, “In a way, it does. I think you’re saying we have to take things as they come—right?”

“Basically...” Older Jackie responded, “Yeah.” Turning her attention back to her younger self, the major said in a soft, tender voice, “The future will take care of itself. Just do what you think is right.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Miami Sound Machine was around in 1977, playing the Latin scene in Miami with Gloria Estefan joining the group in 1976. Conga would go national in 1979, so while it is a bit of a stretch, Jackie's little fib about catching them playing in local bars in Miami would have seemed plausible. The B-52s were performing at this time in the Athens, Georgia area and one of the songs they were performing in the local college bars and pubs was Rock Lobster. The next year, they'd release their first platinum album. As for what happened to Laurie--her tragic fate will be revealed in an upcoming vignette story.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm deliberately avoiding giving a date as to when the story on the SG-1 side takes place--for all intents and purposes let's just say that it takes place at some point in the early 21st century. Jackie's time in the sarcophagus gives me something of a get out of growing old free card as the sarcophagus acts to prolong life and heals, but with some very ugly side effects if you spend too much time in it. While I'm doing my best to maintain both SG-1 and that 70s Show canon, there will be some lapses here and there. I know that in the series, Fez marries Laurie to keep his green card, in my continuity, Fez's luck eventually runs out and he has to leave the country.


End file.
